What I Do For You
by hana-to-mame
Summary: My Babysitter's A Vampire.  Slash.  Ethan/Benny.  Ethan gets bitten and Benny's grandmother's blood substitute isn't enough to keep his thirst away, so Ethan's cravings are getting stronger.  Can anything save him?
1. Bitten

**What I Do For You (a My Babysitter's A Vampire fanfic)**

**Rated: T**

**Pairing: Ethan/Benny**

**Summary: Slash. Ethan gets bitten and Benny's grandmother's blood substitute isn't enough to keep his thirst away, so Ethan's cravings are getting stronger. Can anything save him?**

**Chapter 1 - Bitten (Posted 23 July 2011)**

"Are you sure you should be doing that?" Ethan asked as he watched Benny mix some kind of potion.

"Sure, it's an easy potion." Benny said, continuing to mix the fizzing liquid in the glass jar.

"And you're sure it'll make us stronger?"

"Guaranteed." Benny wiggled his eyebrows.

"Is it supposed to be foaming like that?"

"Yeah, it's fine."

"Should it be... rumbling?" Ethan asked, listening closer.

"I... think so?" Benny looked around the container and checked the spell book again.

The potion continued to fizz and pop and rumble as the glass container began to shake. When a small crack formed down the side of the glass, the boys' eyes widened.

"Ok..." Benny said, "maybe I did something wrong."

"Maybe?" Ethan asked. "What should we do? It looks like it's gonna explode!"

"Um..." Benny said worriedly. "I don't know!"

"Well we can't just..."

"Duck!" Benny yelled and pulled Ethan down behind the counter just as the glass ruptured and sent fragments flying all around the kitchen.

"Ouch!" Ethan said as a sharp piece of glass scraped across his neck.

Benny helped Ethan stand up and they looked around the kitchen. There was a slimy liquid all over along with thousands of tiny pieces of glass. But they could worry about that later. "Are you ok?" his eyes flicked to the gash on his best friend's neck.

Ethan put a hand on his cut and looked at his hand, seeing blood smeared all around it. "I'm fine. It's not that deep. I'm just glad there aren't any vampires here." His eyes met Benny's worried ones.

"Yeah me too." Benny nodded. "So what should we do? Do you need to go to the hospital or..."

"No, I can clean it up here. Really, it's just a surface wound."

"Ok." Benny pursed his lips.

"I'll just go to the bathroom and clean it up." Ethan said, looking away and breaking Benny's gaze.

"Ok." Benny said again. "I guess I'll clean this up."

"If you wait I'll help you." Ethan said as he walked toward the bathroom.

"No, I'll get it. You just go take care of that cut."

X

"Stop messing with it!" Benny said to Ethan, who was rubbing the long scab on his neck. It was the end of the school day and they were walking through the hall.

"I'm not." Ethan said, dropping his arm to his side.

"Yeah, you are. You keep picking at it. In a school full of vampires!"

"Shh!" Ethan shushed him, gaining weird looks from the other students.

"What? It's true! You never know if one of them was around us when you pick that thing open. And your blood makes them go crazy, so just be careful."

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever."

"Hey." Sarah said as she walked up to the guys. "I'm glad you managed to make it out alive with that thing." she pointed to the dark spot on Ethan's neck.

"It's just a cut." Ethan insisted.

"I know." she said with a concerned face. "Just be careful, ok? Even though it's dry, a scab still has blood in it."

"Thank you!" Benny said. "I've been telling him the same thing."

"Would you guys stop worrying about me?" Ethan asked, feeling embarrassed. "I can take care of myself."

"Ok," Sarah backed off a little bit, "but I think you should probably avoid Erica." She said and walked away.

"She's right you know." Benny said.

"Don't you think I figured that out on my own?"

"Ok, sorry bro, I didn't mean to offend you." Benny held his hands up in defense. "I just feel really bad. It's my fault you got hurt, and you could end up getting hurt more because of it. I just don't want that to happen."

Ethan sighed. "I know. But you don't have to worry about it. I'm gonna be fine."

They started walking again and Ethan's hand returned to his scab.

"Dude, seriously, you're grossing me out a little." Benny scrunched his face up.

"I can't help it!" Ethan admitted. "It's itchy."

They suddenly bumped into someone.

"Watch it, dorks." The voice made Benny and Ethan go cold.

"H-hey, Erica." Benny stuttered.

She rolled her eyes and started walking away.

Ethan, who had been holding completely still, was relieved when Erica walked away. But he didn't realize that he'd begun picking at his scab again.

Erica's footsteps stopped. "What... is that smell?" She turned around and eyed the two boys.

"Umm..." Ethan's voice broke as he shied away from her. He pulled his hand away from his neck again and gagged when he saw blood on it.

"Ethan, run!" Benny said, knowing he was the one in the most danger.

Ethan was paralyzed with fear as Erica came closer.

"Ethan!" Benny grabbed his friend's arm. "Let's go!" He pulled him in the opposite direction.

"Not so fast." Erica said as she ran at vampire speed and caught Ethan.

"No! Ethan!" Benny yelled. He tried to grab him back from the bloodthirsty girl, but she sank her fangs into his neck before he was able to do anything. He watched in horror as she drank from him. "No, get _off_ him!" Benny mustered all his strength and pulled them apart. Erica hissed at him, but he didn't care. "Back off. _Now_."

She stepped back and looked at him and then down at Ethan, who had fallen on the floor and was tossing and turning in pain.

Benny bent down next to him. "Well! Don't just stand there!" Benny yelled at Erica. "Do something! Save him!"

"I... there's nothing I can do." She said, not sounding particularly regretful. "I took too much blood from him and it's too late to suck the venom out like last time. He really does have a unique flavor though." she twirled her hair.

"How can you say that? You just turned an innocent human into a vampire!"

"Oooh, now he'll be super strong and live forever. How terrible."

Ethan writhed in pain for a few more seconds before falling limp. "What's happening now?"

"Now, the transformation is complete. You'd better be careful, when he wakes up he's gonna be thirsty." With that she sped away.

Benny laid one hand on Ethan's stomach and used the other one to lightly tap him on the cheek. "Ethan? Ethan, buddy, wake up."

Ethan moaned quietly, but his eyes didn't open.

"Woah. What's goin on?" Rory said as he walked up to them.

Benny didn't bother looking up. "Erica bit him!"

"Oh, cool."

"No! Not cool!" Benny shouted.

Rory backed up a little bit. "Why is it not cool?"

"Ethan can't be a vampire!" Benny hissed.

"Why not?"

"He doesn't want to! He's had plenty of chances to become one but he didn't want it! I don't know what to do..."

"You should take him home." Rory suggested. "And maybe restrain him until you can get him some of that synthetic blood."

"Yeah, ok..." Benny said, still disoriented from having watched Ethan get bitten right before his eyes. "Can you help me? Can you, like, fly him home or something? It'll be faster and I don't want anyone to see him like this."

"I guess." Rory said as he stooped down and picked Ethan up. "But you guys owe me." He ran out of the school and flew away.


	2. Guilt

**Chapter 2 - Guilt (Posted 24 July 2011)**

"Wha..." Ethan groaned as he woke up. There was an awful taste in his mouth and a burning sensation in his throat. He tried to sit up, only to find out that his wrists and ankles were bound to his bed.

"Finally, you're awake." Benny sat on the edge of Ethan's bed and leaned a little closer, trying to look into his eyes to make sure he was ok.

"Benny, why am I tied down?" He wriggled his hands and feet some more, trying to break free.

"Just a precaution." Benny said, looking sad and concerned. "Do you remember what happened?"

"What are you-" Ethan blinked as the memories returned, and the burning in his throat. "Aagh!" he strained against the restraints.

Benny only flinched slightly. He'd been expecting that, but it was still hard to see Ethan like this. "Here. Drink this," he said after he calmed down a bit. He held him a cup full of a thick, red liquid with a straw sticking out of it.

Ethan eyed it cautiously. "What is it?"

"What do you think it is? Just drink it and then I'll untie you, kay?"

Ethan pursed his lips but nodded anyway. He watched as Benny held out the cup and put the straw between his lips. He squeezed his eyes shut and sipped the liquid, preparing for the disgusting taste, but was surprised to find that it actually tasted good and cooled his throat, relieving him of all other pains in his body and clearing his head. Before he knew it, he'd drunk all of it.

"Feel better?" Benny asked softly.

"Yeah." Ethan said awkwardly.

"Ok." Benny stood and untied Ethan's wrists and ankles one by one. "I'm gonna get going. I told your parents you were just really stressed out and needed some rest, so they won't bug you." He turned away.

"Benny, wait." Ethan caught Benny's arm. "Are you mad at me?"

Benny turned and looked into Ethan's eyes. "Mad at you? Why would I be mad at you?"

"I don't know." Ethan shrugged shyly. "You just seem..."

"I am not mad at you." Benny said softly. "I promise."

"Well then... will you tell me what's wrong?"

"Ethan... I'm sorry." Benny hung his head.

"Sorry? Sorry for what?"

"Letting this happen to you."

"What?" Ethan looked confused.

"This... this is my fault."

Ethan pulled hard on Benny's arm, forcing him to reclaim his seat on the bed. "No it's not." he sounded more like he was begging rather than telling.

"Yes, it is." Benny insisted. "I just had to make that stupid potion. It's my fault that glass cut you, and it's my fault Erica bit you. I'm always doing stupid crap like this and I never think about what could happen. And you end up paying the price for my mistakes. You're a vampire and it's my fault."

"Benny." Ethan put a hand on Ethan's shoulder. "It's not your fault at all. I'm the one who kept picking at that stupid scab."

"But you wouldn't've had that scab if it weren't for me."

"You think I'd actually blame you for this?" Ethan almost laughed. "I'm always in danger of things like this. Really it was only a matter of time until something like this happened to one of us."

"I should have protected you."

"What could you have done?"

"I... I don't know! I just know that I should have been able to do something. But instead I just stood back and watched as you had your human life taken from you."

"I'm not blaming you." Ethan insisted. "Please don't feel guilty about it. You know I hate seeing you bent out of shape like this."

"I know." Benny closed his eyes. "I just can't stand the thought of you getting hurt."

Ethan blinked as he felt his cheeks heat up. "Well... I'm not in pain anymore, if that makes you feel better."

"But you will be, once you get thirsty again."

"Oh," Ethan knew Benny was right, "well your grandmother can make that blood substitute, can't she?"

"Yeah. I have a bottle of it in my bag. It should get you through the night."

Ethan looked toward where Benny's messenger bag was sitting on the floor. He sniffed lightly. "I can smell it."

"Here," Benny said as he stood again and walked over to his bag, "I'll get it for you." He reached in and pulled out a large, black water bottle. He handed it to Ethan. "Gramma is making more right now. I'll give it to you at school tomorrow."

"Ok." Ethan nodded nervously. "Thanks."

"Yeah."

Benny turned quickly and walked out of the room. Suddenly Ethan felt the burning in his throat come back and drank some of the fake blood. It wasn't nearly as satisfying as the first sips had been, and he was feeling a tight pain in his chest.

X

The next day at school, Ethan couldn't wait to see Benny. He'd been in pain all night and thought maybe there was something wrong with the blood Benny had given him.

But he finally started feeling better once he got to school. And as soon as he met up with Benny, all the pain went away and a sense of calm came over him.

His face lit up and he smiled excitedly when he locked eyes with his best friend. However, he was still a little nervous. He knew Benny blamed himself for what happened to him and didn't want him to feel worse than he already did. "Hey, Benny."

"Hey, dude." Benny said with an obviously fake smile. "So Gramma made you some more blood. Here's a bottle." he handed him another black water bottle. "And she also gave me a thermos because she thought you might like it warm. That sounds really disgusting but you're the vampire, so, yeah." Benny said as he handed him a professional grade thermos.

"Thanks." Ethan said quietly. "Look, Benny, please don't be upset about this. I... I know you feel bad but I don't want you to."

"I can't help it." Benny said sadly. "I hate seeing you hurt. And then I go and let this happen to you..."

"Benny, really, I hate knowing you're upset about it. I want you to go back to being your normal, uncaring self. Seeing you all serious and gloomy... it... I don't like it. Please? I never placed any blame on you, but if it helps, I forgive you, ok? Just please don't be so sad."

"It's not that easy."

"Benny." Ethan sent him a pleading look.

Benny never could say 'no' to that face. "I'll try." He smiled a little when Ethan looked pleased.

"Thanks." Ethan sighed in relief. He stared at Benny as a strange scent filled his nostrils.

"Well, aren't you gonna drink any?" Benny asked, bringing Ethan out of his semi-trance.

"What? Oh... yeah." Ethan unscrewed the cap on the thermos and took a sip of the warm synthetic blood. "Wow. It's good." And it was, but that same smell from before seemed to be canceling out some of the intensity of the taste. He sniffed around, trying to find the source of it. But it only brought him closer to Benny.

"Um, bro? Are you... feeling ok?"

"Huh?" Ethan shook his head to clear his thoughts. "Sure, I'm... fine. But are you wearing new deodorant?"

"Nope." Benny slightly widened his eyes in confusion.

"New cologne?"

"Not wearing any cologne at all. Why?" Benny looked worried. "Do I stink?"

"No." Ethan sniffed him again. "You smell... good, actually."

Benny awkwardly lifted his arm and tried to sneak a sniff of his armpit, but he didn't smell anything too special. "O... kay then."

"Hey, guys." Sarah waved when she spotted them. "What's up?"

"Heh..." Ethan gave a tense laugh. "Not much. Just... gettin' ready to go to class."

Suddenly she caught a whiff of something and looked toward the open thermos Ethan was holding. "What is that?"

"It's another one of Gramma's new recipes." Benny said like it was nothing.

"Is it for me?" she asked as she pointed to herself. Her eyes flickered between the two boys, who stayed silent. "Um, hello? Earth to Ethan and Benny. Do you want me to try the new recipe?"

Benny glanced over at Ethan, unsure of what to do.

"Um, actually," Ethan started, "it's... mine."

"Really?" she said, leaning in to look into the container. "I thought it was some of her fake blood. See when you said 'recipe' I thought you meant..."

"He did." Ethan said. "His grandmother made me some of her blood substitute."

"...Why?" she squinted at him.

"Erica bit me yesterday after school." Ethan put his head down. "I'm a fledgeling now."

"What!" Sarah stomped a foot. "You're a vampire? After I sacrificed my only chance at being human again to save you?

"I'm sorry." Ethan said softly. "I know you became a full vampire to keep me human but I couldn't help it! I kept picking that scab and then Erica..."

She glared at Benny. "This is your fault, you know. If you had just waited for your grandmother before trying to make that potion on your own-"

"Hey!" Ethan yelled, surprising everyone including himself. "It's _not_ Benny's fault."

"But that cut..."

"Sarah, I said it's not his fault." Ethan almost snarled at her. "Benny didn't do anything wrong, ok?"

"Whatever." she played it off. "Welcome to the ranks, I guess." She flipped her hair and walked away.

"Benny," Ethan said, seeing the somber look return to his friend's face, "don't listen to her. She's just upset because now it's like her sacrifice was in vain."

"But she's right." Benny said sadly.

"No, she's not. Come on, you said you'd try to get over it and just be happy." He reached out and touched Benny's shoulder in an effort to comfort him. But instead, his eyes glassed over and strange images flashed in his mind.

"Woah," Benny said when Ethan came back to reality, "did you just have a vision?"

Ethan gaped at his friend, starting to feel uneasy about what he saw. "...Yeah."

"Well, what was it?" Benny appeared to be genuinely curious, almost seeming like his regular self again.

"Uh... nothing. Don't worry about it." He looked away.

"Hey, don't give me that. I know when you're hiding something from me." Benny said as he grabbed Ethan's chin and turned his face back to him. He peered into his eyes, trying to get him to tell him exactly what he saw.

Ethan's eyes were held captive by Benny's. For a moment, he was almost convinced to tell him what he saw in his vision, but he couldn't. "Trust me, Benny, it's nothing, ok?"

Benny bit his lip and furrowed his brow. "Fine."

"Come on, let's just go to class." Ethan shoved the bottle and thermos into his backpack.

"Sure. I'll meet you there, I gotta make a pit stop." Benny turned and began walking away.

But Ethan reached out at lightening speed and caught Benny's shirt in a death-grip. "Wait." It was strange, but all of a sudden the thought of being separated from Benny was terrifying. "I... I'll go with you."

"Right." Benny arched an eyebrow, but said nothing more as they made their way to the bathroom.

X

The rest of a day was even more of a roller coaster Ethan. Benny seemed to be doing a lot better, carrying on like the geek he was. And being around him really made Ethan feel safe and comfortable, but any time they were separated he was in physical pain and the thirst was so strong he wasn't sure if he would live through it.

"Ethan?" Sarah said at the end of the day. "Have you seen Benny? I wanted to apologize to him for what I said this morning."

"No, I don't know where he is." Ethan's breathing was ragged, and his speech was slurred.

"Ooh, you don't look so good." she observed, leaning in to take a closer look.

He backed away from her. "I don't know what's happening. Probably just my body adjusting to the transformation."

"I don't think so, I didn't need any time to adjust. And neither did Erica or Rory. I think something's wrong with you."

He took a few more hard deep breaths. "What should... I do?"

"We should go see Benny's gramma."


	3. Blood Brothers

**Chapter 3 - Blood Brothers (Posted 27 July 2011)**

"Oh, hello Ethan." Benny's grandmother said as she opened the door. "I was hoping you'd come over. Benny's locked himself in his room and won't talk to anyone. I thought maybe you could-" She was cut off as Ethan started to fall over. Luckily, he was caught by Sarah. "Oh my, is he alright?"

"We don't know." Sarah explained, a worried expression on his face. "We thought you could help us."

"I don't know how much help I'll be, but come on in, both of you." she moved to let them inside.

Ethan walked, supported by Sarah, until he could sit down in a chair. He started to feel some of his strength come back to him, and that same sense of calm he was feeling with Benny was starting to comfort him again.

"Now, Benny told me yesterday that you were bitten."

Ethan nodded. "Yeah, by Erica. And that's... kinda what I wanted to talk to you about. I've been feeling... weird."

"Weird?" the old woman asked. "How?"

"Well..." he caught himself blushing when he thought about how it sounded. "Whenever I'm around Benny... it's like... I don't feel thirsty. I mean I do, but... it's more bearable. And I feel... really calm and just... good, I guess. But then, when we're apart, it hurts."

"Aaw." Sarah squealed. "That's so cute!"

"No, it's not cute." Ethan insisted, though the redness on his face said otherwise. "I mean it _really_ hurts. The thirst comes back and no matter how much of your blood substitute I drink, it doesn't really go away. And my chest hurts and my head gets all fuzzy and I'm so paranoid. I feel like I have no energy and I'm irritable."

A look flashed across the woman's face that said she knew exactly what was going on. "It actually causes you physical pain to be away from him?"

Benny nodded sheepishly. "Yeah."

"Let me ask you, do you remember becoming blood brothers?"

"What?" Ethan asked in confusion.

"You know," she waved her hand in the air, "that thing all little boys do. They cut their palms and then press them together. Do you remember ever doing that?"

"Oh, yeah, sure we did." Ethan said, wondering what that had to do with it.

"I'm afraid that's what's causing this." she sighed.

"What does that mean?" Sarah asked.

"You and Benny aren't ordinary humans." she lectured. "You've always been part of the supernatural world, even before your powers developed. And when you became blood brothers, you created sort of a... psychic link connecting you. And the fact that you two have been friends this long and through so many obstacles only served to strengthen that connection."

"Ok... so that's what's making me feel sick?" Ethan asked.

"Sort of." Benny's grandmother said. "I'm guessing that on some level you've always felt uncomfortable being away from him for extended periods of time. And him too. But it's amplified now that you're a vampire. Because he's in pain too, I'm assuming, but won't say anything."

"He probably thinks it's just guilt." Ethan said sadly.

"Guilt?"

"He thinks this whole thing is his fault. See we were talking about how we wanted to be stronger and then he found this potion in his spell book..."

"Ah, I know, he told me everything."

"He did?" Ethan was surprised that Benny actually told her about what happened.

"Why yes." she nodded.

"Um, I kinda have to get going." Sarah stood. "I hope you get better, Ethan. And, if you ever get Benny out of his room, will you tell him I really am sorry?"

"Yeah, sure." Ethan nodded absently. Not that he didn't care, but he really wanted to find out more about this link between him and Benny. Sarah waved as she left, but Ethan wasn't really paying attention to her. "So, this link..."

"Oh, right. Now that you're a vampire, his body is trying to catch up to yours. It's stressed out because you're a vampire and he's not."

"So you're saying... that he wants to be a vampire?"

She simply nodded like it was not big deal at all. "He wants to protect you. But he can't do that as a human. So it's trying to become a vampire."

"How is it doing that?"

"His body is trying to accommodate a vampire lifestyle. He's craving blood but won't admit it. His body is rejecting food. But it knows it can't become a vampire on its own. It's trying to get you to change him."

"What?" Ethan almost choked. "I don't want to change him!"

"And he knows that. That's why he's locked locked himself in his room. He's afraid to face you because he doesn't want to force you to do anything. I explained it all to him. If you change him, you give up any chance you have left at regaining your humanity. But he's not just worried about that."

"What else is he worried about?"

"Perhaps it's best if he tells you that." she said. "Why don't you go up and see if you can talk to him."

"I'll do my best." Ethan said, standing up. He still felt a little weak, but as he came closer to Benny's room, he gained more and more of his strength. When he reached Benny's door, he was feeling almost completely better. He knocked, but no response came, so he called out. "Benny, it's me. Listen, I know you think you're protecting me, but-" Suddenly the door was open and Benny's arms were around him, hugging him like they hadn't seen each other in years. It startled him, but he finally felt at ease.

"Ethan, what are you doing here?" Benny breathed against Ethan's neck, sending a chill through his skin.

"I just wanted to tell you that you're being..." Ethan struggled to remain in control as that delicious smell from earlier wafted past him. "...an idiot."

"Here," Benny said, finally releasing him, "put this mask on." He held up a surgical mask and stretched it out, placing the filter over Ethan's face and the elastic around his head to keep it in place. "That should help, for a little."

"What do I need this for?"

"To protect yourself."

"Benny," Ethan started to lift the mask off, "I don't understand-"

Benny stuck his hand out to stop Ethan from removing the mask. "Didn't Gramma tell you? She said she'd explain it to you if you came over."

"Yes, she told me, but I still don't understand why I need this mask."

"You have super vampire smelling powers now." Benny explained. "Don't you remember this morning, when you asked me about my deodorant?" He paused and waited for Ethan's nod. "I'm not doing it on purpose, but I..."

"You smell amazing." Ethan realized. "That's what she meant. Your gramma said your body was trying to make me turn you, and it's using the way your blood smells to lure me in."

"Yeah. But it's not only that. Ethan..." Benny's face contorted in sorrow. "I know you don't want to bite me."

"Of course I don't." Ethan insisted. "No matter how good you smell, I would never..."

"Yes, you would. Every second that you're a vampire and I'm not, the smell is only going to get stronger until you can't handle it anymore." Benny bit his lip. "You know you're my best friend... and I care about you more than anyone else in this entire universe..."

"You're trying really hard not to say what you really want to say right now." Something in Ethan's brain suddenly clicked. "But there's no use in hiding it anymore. I saw it, this moment, in my vision today." He said it softly, trying not to sound threatening or upset.

Benny's face fell before he looked away and pointed at the door. "Get out."

"You were about to tell me something." Ethan couldn't leave.

"Ethan. Get. Out."

"You've been trying to figure out how to tell me for so long and you were finally gonna do it." He stepped toward Benny and turned him around. Benny let himself be turned, but he refused to meet Ethan's eyes. "And then this happened. And now you're afraid to tell me because of the link." He pulled the mask from his face and threw it aside. "Why are you still afraid to say it even though I already know...?"

"Because you're a vampire!" Benny yelled louder than he'd intended. "Fledgeling or not, you're a vampire, Ethan, and you expect me to just overlook it?"

"Why didn't you ever tell me before?"

"Oh, yeah, because it's something that's just so easy to say. What was I supposed to do, just walk up to my best bro and tell him I think I love him? It just doesn't work that way. Especially once Sarah entered the picture."

Ethan blinked. "What does she have to do with this?"

"You've totally got a crush on her. I knew all along that my feelings would most likely be one-sided forever, but I guess, before she came, I always thought that maybe there was a tiny chance that... you know, we might end up together. But then she showed up and you haven't stopped trying to get her attention since. I guess you could say I got a little jealous."

"Jealous? You never seemed jealous."

"Because I didn't want to get in the way. If you had feelings for her, I didn't want to ruin your chances by getting in your way, so I just tried to play it cool. But then... I still wanted to tell you, because I felt kind of guilty for keeping it from you for so long. And, of course, because I was still holding onto some kind of hope."

"Well... now I know." Ethan said, trying to calm Benny. "Now you don't have to worry about it anymore. Let's just..."

"Don't have to worry about it?" Benny interrupted. "I'll always worry about it. Because I'll never stop worrying about you. You know what Gramma didn't tell you? That you want me to be a vampire just as much as I do."

"What?"

"Yeah. The reason it hurts you..." Benny felt his nose start to run as tears formed in the corners of his eyes. He was full of anger, fear, sadness, and guilt. "...is because you need me. We're blood brothers, and that kind of bond is stronger than any curse, even vampirism." He paused and took a long, deep breath, as if it hurt just to think about what he was about to say. "Blood substitute won't be good enough forever. Soon, even human blood won't be able to save you. You need _my_ blood, Ethan. You need to change me or you're going to _die_. You get it now? You're either going to have to become a full vampire by biting your best friend, or you're gonna die."

Ethan suddenly felt like a weight was crushing him. "I'm..."

"That's why I've kinda been avoiding you all day, and that's why I left school without you. I... I didn't know how to tell you. I didn't want you to hate me."

"Benny," Ethan said, coming even closer, "I could never hate you."

"But I hate myself for putting you in this position. I loved you as a friend way before I started having these other feelings, so I'll live if you don't feel the same way. I knew that even if you didn't return my feelings I'd still always want to be your friend but... I'm pretty much the worst friend ever these days. You're _dying_ and it's my fault."

"Don't try and make it sound like I'm the only one in danger here." Ethan argued. "From what your gramma told me, you're dying too. You can't eat. And you're in just as much pain as I am. And the only way I can save you is to change you."

Benny made a conflicted face. "I never meant for this to happen."

"I know." Ethan understood.

"I don't want you to have to do this."

"I know." Ethan wrapped his arms around Benny's midsection and squeezed. He put his head against Benny's chest and took a deep breath as he felt the other boy's arms envelop him loosely yet protectively. "But see? I'm smelling you right now. It's not too bad."

"I told you, it's gonna get worse." Benny whispered.

"How long do we have?"

"It depends. We'll last longer if we stay together. But the more we're together, the harder it's going to be for you to resist biting me."

"I don't care. I won't leave your side."

"Thanks." Benny said softly.

"And when the time comes... I'll do it. I'll bite you. And then neither of us has to die."

Benny strengthened his hold on Ethan. "I'm sorry."

"Hey, what did I tell you before? Don't be sorry. I don't want you blaming yourself."

"But-"

"No buts." Ethan shook his head against Benny's chest. "I hate to play this card, but if you really love me, you'll stop blaming yourself. This was all an accident, Benny, and you know it."

Benny hesitated, but nodded after petting Ethan's head a few times. "Ok. I won't blame myself. Completely, anyway. That's the best I can do."

It wasn't exactly the answer Ethan was looking for, but he accepted it anyway. "Well, it's a start."

"Ethan?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm not asking for any kind of response or anything. I just want you to know that... I really do love you."

"I... know you do. And to be completely honest... I'd be lying if I said the thought of being with you never crossed my mind. I mean... I'm not saying I..."

"Ethan, it's ok, I don't expect you to magically return my feelings. In fact... I've pretty much accepted that you won't. And I'm really not upset about it. I just hope that we can still be buds."

"Yeah." Ethan leaned out of the hug but kept his arms around Benny. "Of course we can."

Benny half-smiled. "So... are you staying here or should I come to your house?"

"Why don't you come over to mine? I mean... unless you wanted to stay here."

"No, your place is good." Benny said as he released Ethan from the hug.

But Ethan's hand flashed out and grabbed onto Benny's. Benny sent him a questioning look. Ethan blushed profusely. "Um, it just... the pain goes away when we're touching."

Finally, a natural smile formed on Benny's lips. "You know, I don't mind the touching part," he said, making Ethan's blush deepen.

Ethan rolled his eyes and laughed in an effort to make things less awkward. "Let's just go."


	4. First Night

**Chapter 4 - First Night (Posted 3 August 2011)**

Benny packed a bag to bring with to Ethan's. He wasn't sure how long he would need to stay there, so he packed a few outfits and other things he thought he might need.

"Gramma is going to give us a ride to your house." he said to Ethan.

"Really? Why can't we just walk?"

Benny quirked an eyebrow at him. "Do you really want to walk around outside holding my hand?"

Ethan bit his lip. He didn't want to tell him no, because he was afraid it might hurt his feelings. But he also _really_ didn't want to be seen holding another guy's hand. He blushed slightly before answering, "Oh. Right."

"Exactly." Benny nodded. "So, if you can handle it, we'll let go and walk to her car. And then when we're inside it won't matter because the windows are tinted. We'll have to let go again to get inside your house, but once we're inside we can just sit close or something so your parents don't get suspicious."

"Ok." Ethan felt kind of bad. It wasn't that he didn't want to touch Benny, he just didn't want anyone to think he was gay. But Benny didn't seem bothered by it at all. And that made Ethan feel a little guilty now that he knew how Benny felt about him.

X

Getting to Ethan's house turned out to be more of a chore than they thought it would be. Walking from Benny's house to his grandmother's car was minimally painful as he and Ethan were fairly close together.

They both sat in the back seat so they could touch. But this was where it got a little awkward. Ethan was pretty much okay with the fact that touching Benny made him feel better. And he was coming to terms with knowing that eventually it would be severely painful to not be touching him. But he didn't really like the thought of holding his hand. It had been a knee-jerk reaction earlier simply because it was the easiest thing to do, but now he didn't want to do something like that with his best friend.

And he realized that Benny probably knew that, because when they were finally seated in the car, Benny made no move to grab Ethan's hand. Instead he simply scooted a bit closer and relaxed his arm so that their elbows were faintly rubbing together. "Is that ok?"

Ethan looked at him. "Yeah. It's... fine, I guess."

"You know..." Benny said quietly, "we might be able to make it there without having to touch."

"I thought you didn't mind the touching?" Ethan tried to joke.

"I don't." Benny was using his serious voice. "But you obviously do and that's why it's probably best if we don't touch until we absolutely have to. That way you don't have to feel... awkward."

"I don't feel awkward." Ethan insisted, but looked away.

"Yeah, and I never wear stripes." Benny gave a weak chuckle before sliding away from Ethan.

Ethan pinched his eyes shut. The pain wasn't too bad right now. It was so slight that he almost wasn't sure whether he was actually feeling it or not, like when your ear rings and then you don't quite know if it's still going or if it stopped. But even in the few minutes it took to get from Benny's house to his, he could feel it getting worse. Like a burning in his chest and a pounding in his head getting only a tiny bit worse each second.

When they reached Ethan's house, he was extremely uncomfortable. Sweating and anxious, and feeling tired and dizzy.

"Ok boys," Benny's gramma said, "we're here. I've packed you a few bottles in this cooler. If you need more, don't hesitate to call me."

"Thanks, Gramma." Benny said, reaching front and taking the small cooler from her. He made a move to open the car door.

"Wait." Ethan said as he reached over and put a hand on Benny's shoulder. There was no skin-on-skin contact thanks to Benny's polo, but he did start to feel a little better. "I don't want my parents to see me like this. Just give me a minute, ok?"

Benny just nodded and waited silently.

After thirty seconds or so, Ethan figured he was ready. All he had to do was walk up the path to his house and make it up to his bedroom. Easy. He could do it. He had to do it. "Ok. I'm ready." He took his hand off of Benny.

"Alright." Benny opened the door and got out with Ethan following behind.

Benny's grandmother waved to them. "Good luck, boys. And Benny, don't be too hard on yourself. You know it'll only upset Ethan."

Ethan blushed and looked at Benny who bit his lip and waved back to her. She drove away, leaving them standing there.

"Ready to go inside?" Ethan asked as he began walking toward his house.

"Yeah, totally." Benny said.

They walked in, hoping to go right up to Ethan's room and figure out what their plan was. But his parents were home.

"Oh, there you are, Ethan." his mother said when she spotted him. "Hi, Benny."

"Hey." Benny said.

"So what are you two up two tonight?" Ethan's dad asked.

"Well," Ethan searched for something to say, "we're just going to play some video games. Is it okay if Benny spends the night?"

"Of course sweetheart, Benny is always welcome here." he mom answered. "But don't stay up too late. It's still a school night."

"Sure, Mom." Ethan said.

"What's in the cooler?" his dad asked.

"Um... chemicals for a project." Ethan told them. "Yeah, sensitive chemicals that... need to be kept cold..."

"Oh." the man nodded. "Ok. Off you go then."

Ethan gave a nervous smile and nodded as he quickly left the room, grabbing Benny's arm and dragging him with him. He told himself it was just to get out of there faster, but he didn't really want to admit that it was partly because he was feeling the pain again. He kept hold of Benny's arm until they reached his room. And he still didn't let go once they were inside.

"Um, Ethan?" Benny said. "You're... kind of hurting me."

Ethan looked across at his hand, which was curled tightly around Benny's forearm, harshly digging his nails into his soft skin. He released him immediately and blushed some more. "Sorry. I didn't realize I was doing it."

"It's okay." Benny said with a soft smile. "I guess not touching wasn't such a good idea. I just... I know you don't like that part but I guess we'll have to live with it."

Ethan stared at him. "That's not the only part I don't like. Benny... I don't really care that I have to become a full vampire. I'm already a fledgeling, and we tried so hard to find a cure for Sarah that I'm almost positive that there _is_ no cure, so either way I'm always going to be this way. I just hate that I have to change you too."

"I'm sorry." Benny extended his arm and took Ethan's hand, knowing he needed to be calmed down some more. He knew Ethan wasn't crazy about it, but if it kept the pain at bay then he was almost prepared to force him to hold his hand. "And I wasn't going to tell you this, but... man, you know I hate keeping things from you. Now that you're a vampire... it's not just that psychic connection that's making me want to be a vampire. I really do want it. And I know that sounds crazy and you're probably going to be a little angry at me for saying it but it's true. You're my best friend. I can't... I can't grow up without you growing with me, you know? I mean..."

"Woah, woah, wait." Ethan shook his head. "What are you saying? Why would you want this?"

"Because if you're a vampire, you get older, but your body won't change. Mine will. I'm going to get old. And it could be okay for a few years, you know, you could pass for a few years older than you are and even once we start looking like there's a few years between us it won't be completely weird for us to hang out. But think about twenty five years in the future. A middle-aged man hanging around with a high school student? It won't... it won't work, Ethan. If you're a vampire, I want to be one too so I don't have to lose you. And... to be honest... if it were the other way around... I'd ask you if you would want to join me because I don't ever want to have to give our friendship up."

Ethan didn't know what to say to that. "Wow... I... I didn't think about that."

"You see what I mean though, right?"

"Yeah I... I guess I do. I don't want that to happen at all. Benny, I couldn't live without you..." He didn't mean to make it sound like it did, but it was the truth, and he hoped Benny knew what he meant.

"See?' Benny said with wide eyes. "I know you don't want to feel like you're forcing me to become a vampire, but you're really not. I want... I want to be a vampire. And even if you didn't have to change me... I'd probably go out and find someone who would."

"Wait... you're not just saying that because you feel like you deserve it, are you?" Ethan asked. "Because I know that even though you're putting on a brave face, you still feel like this whole thing is your fault, so you're probably thinking it's like... karma or something."

"No, that's not... well, ok, it's part of it. But just a little part. Trust me, E, I want this to happen. I'm sorry it has to be you but..."

Ethan shook his head. "I'm glad it's me. With what you just said... if you would insist on becoming a vampire, I wouldn't trust anyone else with you. It's... um," he felt some wetness roll down from the corners of his eyes, "it's gonna be hard, having to bite you, but if anyone has to do it... I'm glad it's me."

Benny looked into Ethan's eyes and admitted in a whisper, "I'm glad it's you too."

"And your gramma is right. I really don't even want you to think about the accident with your potion anymore. I should have made you wait until I knew you could handle it but Benny... it's no one's fault. I got bitten and that's the end of it, ok?"

"Ok." Benny nodded.

"Good." Ethan smiled and released Benny's hand. "So, what do you want to do?"

X

They spend the next few hours playing games. They may have been teenagers, practically young adults, but they didn't care about that. They lived for childish things like this, and it was a good way to keep their minds off their current situation.

"Man, I am tired." Benny said as he laid back on the floor.

"Me too." Ethan mumbled, stretching out beside his friend. "I think we should go to bed."

"That's a good idea."

Ethan took a deep breath in order to gain some strength in his sleepy state and stood up. He sat on the edge of his bed and looked down at Benny, who had his eyes closed. "Are you coming?"

"Where?"

"To the bed."

Benny opened one eye and peered at Ethan. "Why would I do that? I always sleep on the floor."

"Not always." Ethan reminded him.

"Sure, sometimes I fall asleep in your bed but then you sleep on the floor. But it's your house and I'm already down here, so..."

"We've slept together before, Benny." Ethan persisted. "Plenty of times."

"Yeah, well, that was before."

"Before what? Before your feelings for me changed?"

"No, we've done it since then." Benny admitted.

"So what's the problem?"

"Now you know about it."

"Yeah, and?" Ethan asked, not quite seeing his point. "I was comfortable with it then, and nothing has changed. I trust you. I know you wouldn't do anything... indecent."

"Of course I wouldn't, but I still don't think it's a good idea."

"Benny it hurts." Ethan finally confessed. "The pain is back and it's worse and I think it's only going to continue to get worse through the night so would you please just get up here and sleep with me?" He was so flustered that he spoke a little too fast. But Benny caught all of it and sat up, looking at Ethan with a concerned face.

"Why didn't you say anything earlier?"

"Because I was... it was fine earlier. It wasn't so bad but..."

"You're probably just thirsty." Benny said, reaching over to the cooler and pulling out a bottle. "Here." he handed it to Ethan. "Drink it and see if you feel better."

"Benny it's not that it just..."

"Just drink it." Benny commanded softly. "Your bloodlust is worse than normal fledgelings' because of the link. So just drink it."

"Fine." Ethan said, grabbing the bottle. He unscrewed the cap and put the opening to his lips, sipping the liquid. Again, before he knew it the entire thing was empty.

"See?" Benny said with a smirk.

"Okay, so you were right, I was thirsty, but I still want you here."

"Ethan..." Benny whined.

"Please, Benny? Just... please."

Benny sighed. "Alright, you got me." He stood. "You know I can't say 'no' to that face."

That sentenced filled Ethan with conflicting emotions. He smiled because he was happy that Benny agreed to sleep in his bed with him, but at the same time it made him a little sad. He'd been wondering all night if maybe Benny was wrong about his feelings and was just confused. And he wanted to know just how long he'd felt this way. And what made it even more confusing was that he wasn't really uncomfortable with it. It didn't feel that strange to him. "Benny?"

"Yeah?" He answered, flopping back on Ethan's bed.

Ethan looked at him. Why was he smiling? It was so obvious that he was sad. And Ethan could hear his pulse speeding up. If he wasn't mistaken, he could even smell the adrenaline running through his veins. "You're nervous. I don't know why, but I can tell that you are. But you don't have to be. Tonight is going to be fine. We'll figure out what to tell my parents in the morning and go from there. And when I bite you, I promise I'll be gently."

"Thanks. But none of those things are the reason I'm nervous."

"Will you tell me what it is then?" Ethan asked as he laid on his side next to Benny.

Benny turned onto his side to face him. "I'm nervous because even though we'll be able to stay friends forever... I'm not so sure that we will."

"How can you say that?" Ethan sounded offended. "Of course we will. You said yourself that you don't want to give up our friendship. And I know for a fact that I... don't want that either. And if you think it's because of... your feelings, you're wrong. I would never abandon you because of that."

"I know that. But... you'll see what I mean eventually. Let's just go to sleep for now, ok? You really need your rest."

"Right." Ethan turned over on his other side, facing away from Benny, and laid there for a few minutes, trying to fall asleep. But he couldn't. "Benny, you know you can... get a little closer. That is why I wanted this in the first place..."

"Oh yeah, sorry. How's this?" He shuffled a little closer until his side was pressed up against Ethan's back. "Better?"

"Yeah. Thanks."

"No problem." Benny said. "I'm sure you already know this, but I'd do anything for you, Ethan."

"Yeah. I know."


	5. Sick

**Chapter 5 - Sick (Posted 10 August 2011)**

Ethan woke to a strange sensation. Something was pressed up against his back and hugging him tightly around his midsection. He could feel a warm air being blown onto his neck every few seconds. At the first realization that this was not how he usually awoke, he became slightly startled. But in the passing moments of his groggy awakeness, he realized it was one of the most comforting things he's ever felt. Whatever was encircling him was warm and soft and made him feel safe and protected.

But then he remembered. Benny. He was being cuddled by his best friend who also happened to have feelings for him. The sense of alarm returned, but as the panic set in, he also felt waves of calmness wash through him. It was so confusing. He knew doing something like this with Benny was wrong. Not just because he wasn't gay, but because he didn't want to give Benny any false hope. As much as Ethan did care about him, and even though he would admit to feeling some kind of attachment to him, he didn't feel _that _way. But at the same time it just felt so nice to just lay there and feel safe. Even if if was just because of that stupid link, Benny made him feel good. And his touch made him feel even better. So being held by him like this was so nice he didn't want him to ever let go.

As he went on pondering the situation, mentally weighing the pros and cons of staying wrapped up in Benny's arms, he felt another warm gust of air graze his neck, sending chills throughout his body and causing his skin to sprout thousands of tiny goosebumps.

That's when he decided to get up. He lifted his arms and gently unlocked Benny's from their tight grasp around him. Then he sat up slowly, peeling his body away from Benny's and turning around to look at his sleeping friend. He put a hand on Benny's arm and watched him as he thought. He still wasn't crazy about having to bite him. Even before he became a vampire, he knew that if he was ever turned he would never want to drink human blood even if it killed him. But it wasn't just his life in danger. Benny was going to die too if he wasn't changed. By Ethan. It was all just so much. Being bitten in the first place was traumatic enough. Then finding out that Benny was in love with him only complicated things further. And now to top it all off, he was going to have to turn his best friend into a vampire.

He didn't want to deal with it. He didn't want any of this. He knew he talked a big game, trying to be so accepting of everything. Whatever happens happens, right? You can't change the past and all that. But he just wished he could undo it all. He did accept that he was a vampire now. And he accepted Benny's feelings _and_ he accepted this psychic link situation. But that didn't mean he wanted it.

All he wanted was to go to school like a normal kid. Hang out with Benny all the time. And just live his life without having to worry about saving the world anymore.

Unfortunately that wasn't how it worked. _This_ was his life now. And whether he wanted it or not, he figured he just had to make the best of it.

Suddenly the urge to use the bathroom came over him. He let go of Benny and stood up. He took one step, only to fall to his knees with a loud thud and a soft yell.

Benny's eyes opened at the sound and he sat up. "Ethan?" His tired eyes darted around the room until he spotted him kneeling on the floor, panting with his arms around himself. "Ethan, are you ok?" he asked worriedly. He quickly sat up and scurried over to him, placing a hand on Ethan's forearm.

Finally Ethan caught his breath and his body relaxed. "Woah." Ethan's voice was quiet and shaky.

"Ethan? What happened?"

Ethan looked up at him. "I... I don't know. All I did was stand up and start walking toward the bathroom and I felt this like... weight pulling me down. And I felt like I was... drowning, but that burning in my throat was back and I just couldn't keep my balance. It felt like I was gonna die."

Benny pursed his lip. "It's getting worse."

"Mmm..." Ethan said as he caught a whiff of a familiar scent. "That smell..."

"Much worse..." Benny slightly pushed Ethan away from him but didn't stop touching him. "Ethan, I'm going to let go for just a second, ok?"

"What?" Ethan shook his head. "No, don't. It'll hurt." But then he smelled that smell again and inhaled deeply as he leaned closer to Benny. "Benny, you smell so good..."

"Ethan, snap out of it. We don't want to do this yet." Benny tried to reason with him. "You're thirsty, I know that, I'm just going to let go of you for a second so I can get you some blood substitute ok?"

"No, Benny, please don't let go..."

"I have to. Just trust me. Please, Ethan. It'll just be for a second. I'll get you the blood and once you drink it the pain won't be so bad. Trust me?"

Ethan closed his eyes and tried to clear his head. "Just for a second?"

"Just one tiny second, I promise."

Ethan nodded. "Ok."

Benny let go of Ethan and felt a strong pang of guilt as he heard him fall all the way to the floor and start breathing heavily again. He rushed over to the cooler, which had been enchanted to keep the contents cold, and retrieved a bottle of his grandmother's blood substitute. Then he hurried back over to Ethan and opened the bottle before handing it to him.

Ethan drank the salty liquid as he felt Benny's hand on his arm again. Between the two things, he began feeling better. The burning subsided and he was able to breathe. His body returned to its normal weight as he swallowed the last few sips from the bottle.

"Did that help?" Benny asked.

"Yeah. Thanks."

"Don't worry about it. I was just scared for a minute."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry. It's not-"

"Not my fault?" Ethan interrupted with a raised eyebrow. "Now you see where I'm coming from."

Benny's lips twitched into a tiny smile. "I guess I do."

"Benny, what are we going to do? We can't go to school like this."

"You're right." Benny agreed. "We can't."

"So what should we do?"

"I don't know. I'm sure if I tell Gramma what's going on she'd write me a sick note. But you can't just walk up to your parents and tell them the reason you need to stay home. Can you fake sick?"

"No." Ethan said flatly. "I'm _horrible_ at faking sick. My parents can see right through it."

"Well..." Benny said, getting an idea. "Maybe... you don't have to fake it."

"What?"

"If you just lay in your bed and I don't touch you, I think you'll convince them."

"What? Are you crazy? Do you have any idea how much pain I'm in when you let go of me?"

"Yes, actually." Benny said sternly, surprising Ethan. "But it won't be as bad now that you drank some blood. It will only be a little uncomfortable. And you just have to do it long enough for your parents to say you can stay home. Then they'll go to work and I'll come out of wherever I'm hiding."

"I don't like it."

"It's the best we've got right now."

"But..."

"Ethan," Benny took a deep breath, "do you want to go to school and have to spend every second touching me?"

"Well... I... you make having to touch you sound like a prison sentence."

"I just know you don't like it and you don't want to do it in public. So you have to stay home. And our only option is doing this so your parents think you're sick."

What was this tightness in the pit of Ethan's stomach? He almost thought it was guilt, only he didn't know what he was feeling guilty about. "Benny, it's not that I hate touching you, I just..."

"You don't want people to think you're gay and you don't want to give me the wrong idea. I know. I get it." Benny smiled. "But Ethan, your parents are going to come up here any minute and expect you to be ready for school. And we don't have all our classes together, so if we go you're going to have to tough it out on your own during those periods."

Then, as if to prove Benny's point, there was a knock on Ethan's door. "Ethan," it was his mother, "I'm leaving for work. Do you and Benny want a ride to school?"

Ethan looked at Benny, unsure of what to do.

"Come on." Benny whispered and dragged Ethan over to his bed. "Just lay down. I'll get under the bed. Tell her I left already." Then Benny proceeded to get down on the floor and crawl beneath Ethan's bed.

"Ethan?" his mother called again.

"Come in." Ethan yelled, his voice a little strained.

His bedroom door swung open and his mother walked in, eyeing him worriedly. "Sweetie, you don't sound so good."

Ethan's face was covered in sweat and entire body felt like it weighted a thousand pounds. His head was pounding and breathing wasn't so easy. "I don't feel so good either."

His mother put her hand on his forehead and nodded. "Yep, you definitely have a fever. Maybe you should stay home today."

"But, Mom," Ethan pretended to argue, "I have a science lab today and-"

"No." She said, standing straight. "Science lab or not, you need to rest. Your father and I are off to work but if you need one of us, please call and we'll come right home, ok?"

"Ok." Ethan nodded shallowly.

"I'll call once in a while to check on you."

"Alright. Thanks."

She smiled at him and then looked around. "Is Benny here?"

"Oh, no he left already."

"He left? Without you?"

"Yeah, well... he... um... he had to go home and change first because he forgot extra clothes."

"Huh." his mother said, a little confused. "But I didn't see him leave..."

"He probably didn't want to disturb you and Dad."

"Does he know you're sick? I wonder if he caught it too. You know you two always seem to get sick at the same time. It's the strangest thing, really. In fact, I don't really remember there ever being a time when one of you was sick and the other wasn't... even when we spent that week at the shore, you got food poisoning and when we came back, Benny had the same symptoms..."

"Yeah, Mom, that was weird. Aren't you gonna be late for work?"

"Right. I gotta go. You'll be ok, right? There's soup and things downstairs. And if Benny _is_ sick you might as well invite him over so you don't have to stay here all by yourself. Maybe his grandmother could even come over and stay with you for a little bit."

"...Sure." Ethan said.

"Alright. I'll see you when I get home."

"Bye, Mom." he said as she walked out the door.

The boys waited until they heard the front door close and the cars start up. Then Benny came out from under the bed and sat next to Ethan. To Ethan's surprise, he didn't touch him right away. It was almost like he was afraid to.

"Why do you look like you're scared?"

"Hm?" Benny asked.

"Your face. You look... you just look scared."

"I'm not scared." Benny reached out and took hold of Ethan's hand. "Ethan, you're not the only one that feels the pain when we're not touching."

"Oh." Ethan sat up and looked into Benny's eyes. "That's right. I forgot. You haven't really been showing it though..."

"It's not as bad for me." Benny told him. "It's magnified for you because of your thirst."

"Oh." Ethan said again.

"Yeah. Here," he reached across Ethan to the other side of the bed and and dug around in his bag that was sitting on the floor. He pulled something out and handed it to Ethan. "Wear it."

"Benny, I'm not wearing the surgical mask. It looks ridiculous."

"It doesn't look ridiculous. It looks cute." Benny bit his lip after letting that slip and seeing Ethan blush nervously. "Um... besides, it'll help you deal with my scent."

"It's not that bad."

"Ethan, your condition is getting worse faster than I expected. I thought we'd have about a week... but with the way things are going, I'd say we have until the end of the day."

"What!"

"And that's only if you put the mask on. We may be able to live longer, but soon you're not going to be able to stand my smell anymore. And you can't be in a feral mindset when you bite me or else you'll take too much blood. You need to be focused, ok? And if you're forced to be around my smell until it's time to bite me..."

"Alright, I get it. Give me the dumb mask." Ethan snatched the mask out of Benny's hand and put it on. "Happy?" he asked with a slightly muffled voice.

Benny smiled, instantly curing Ethan's annoyance at him. "Yep."

Ethan rolled his eyes. "You'd better call your gramma and let her know what's up."

"Oh yeah." Benny said. He grabbed his phone off the end table and called his gramma to tell her he was staying with Ethan. She told him she'd figured as much and would write him a note. "It's all taken care of." he said to Ethan.

"Good."

"And I've got an idea."

"Idea for what?"

"Well," Benny started, "when your parents get home, they're probably going to want to take care of you."

"Oh yeah..."

"So I think we should get Sarah to come over. She's a full vampire now, so she should be able to put them in a trance."

"What?" Ethan didn't like the sound of that. "No, we can't put my parents in a trance."

"Dude, she's not going to hurt them. It'll be better. Unless you want to tell them everything that's going on."

"Well no, I don't want to do that either... But I don't want to do something like that without their permission, you know?"

"Yeah. But... I mean this is totally up to you. If you want to tell them..."

"No, telling them would be way worse. Fine, we'll ask Sarah to put them in a trance."

"What about Jane?"

Ethan closed his eyes in thought. "Her too. I don't want her to know what's going on yet. Maybe after it's all over, we can tell her since she already knows pretty much everything else anyway."

"True."

"Ok, so now that that's all out of the way... can we... talk?"

Benny arched his eyebrows. "We've been talking all morning."

"Benny, you know that's not what I mean."

"Well, so what if I do? Maybe I don't really want to talk about it."

"Please?"

Benny sighed. "Fine. But you start."

"But it's so hard to talk with this mask on." Ethan whined.

"You're the one that wanted to talk, so talk."

Ethan relented and sat back against his headboard. Benny followed and sat right next to him so they could have their arms touching without having to hold hands. "Will you tell me... um... when you started to... uh..."

"Love you?"

Ethan blushed and looked away. "Yeah." his voice cracked.

"Middle school."

"Middle school?"

"Yep. Sixth grade. The day we gave that presentation in Math class about what happens when you divide by zero."

Ethan chuckled. "I remember the looks on all the other students' faces. They had no idea what we were talking about."

"I think even the teacher looked a little blank."

"But that was probably because we were just sixth graders."

"Probably."

"But why that day?" Ethan asked with a quiet but curious voice.

"Because." Benny started focusing on picking his fingernails. "After that presentation we had lunch. And we were sitting at our usual table when these two eighth graders came over and started making fun of us."

Ethan's eyes widened slightly. "Oh yeah, I kind of remember that..."

"And you know I've always been really protective of you. But even though I was bigger than you, I was still smaller than those guys, so I thought it would be safer if we just took our lunches somewhere else. So we grabbed our trays and started to walk away but then they ran in front of us and knocked our trays out of our hands. Then they both started saying things again, calling us names and stuff. That, I could handle. But back then, that kind of stuff really got to you, and I wanted to get you out of there. So I grabbed your arm and tried to run away but of course they caught us, they were like three times our size. The one held me back while the other pinned you to the ground and he pulled his fist back like he was going to hit you and I just lost it. I still don't even know what happened next. One minute I'm raging over you being hurt and the next both the bullies were on the floor."

"You beat them up for me?"

"Yeah. And I saw you on the ground and you looked like you were about to cry. And I couldn't just let you cry in front of everyone. So I pulled you up and I was about to take you into the bathroom or something when the principal found us."

"Did you get in trouble?"

"No. Apparently nobody would tell the principal what happened. And the bullies certainly weren't going to admit they were beat up by a sixth grade nerd. So he just took us to his office and called my gramma. And while he was on the phone... you just... you hugged me. And you started to cry. And not just a little bit either, I mean my entire shirt was soaked by the time Gramma picked us up. And you didn't stop crying until we got back to my house. We sat on the sofa for the rest of the day until your Mom came to get you and you just wouldn't let go of me. You even fell asleep after a few minutes." A fond smile stretched across Benny's lips as he played the memories back in his head. "I can still remember what it felt like to hold you like that. To know that I protected you and that I was comforting you. And I remember... I remember just being so grateful that you were okay and... that was when I realized that something was... different."

"Wow."

"I know, it's a lot to take in and you're probably upset,-"

"Upset?" Ethan asked quietly. "Why would I be upset?"

"I don't know. I just thought-"

"Thank you." Ethan interrupted again and put his arms around Benny's midsection.

Benny threw his arms in the air, not sure what to do. "For what?"

"For saving me."

Benny laughed a little as he hugged Ethan back. "That was years ago."

"I know. But still. Thanks. And Benny?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm not upset about it."

"Okay."

"And I'm really happy you told me."

"You are?"

"I am."

"Why?"

"Because I know it was a hard thing to deal with. I know it was hard to say and you were worried about it but you trusted me and chose to be honest with me. That's what makes us such good friends and keeps us together. Not the link. The link just feeds off the connection we've had since the day we met. You're my best friend. And you always will be."

"Good." was all Benny could think to say.


	6. You Have To Do It

**Chapter 6 - You Have To Do It (Posted 17 August 2011)**

Benny and Ethan spent the next few hours talking some more about things they used to do when they were little. It was nice. They didn't usually get to do that lately, what with sort of being heroes and all. Ethan's mom called a few times to check up on them; Benny's gramma had called her earlier and told her he was there. And Ethan had texted Sarah asking her to come over after school.

Which she did.

"So, what do you guys need?" she asked after they invited her in. Then her eyes moved to the space between them where she saw their hands loosely clasped together. "Aaaaaaw! That's so adorable!"

They both blushed.

"Sarah, you know we have to be touching." Ethan reminded her.

"Yeah, but that doesn't make it any less cute. But what's with the mask?"

"I just happen to be the most delicious-smelling human on the planet right now. To Ethan, anyway." Benny smirked. "So he has to wear the mask to kind of lessen the effect it has on him."

"Ok, so what do you need me for?" she asked. They went on to explain that she needed to put Ethan's parents and sister in a trance. "I don't know if I can. I haven't tried it yet."

"Will you try though?" Ethan begged. "Please?"

"Can't you just go over to Benny's house?"

"No, my parents think I'm sick. And when I'm sick, I'm not allowed to go _anywhere_."

"Ok fine, I'll try, but only because you look so cute in that mask."

Ethan blushed as Benny sent him a look that said _I told you so_. "Thanks." he said, embarrassed. "They should be home soon. Do you mind waiting down here? Benny and I have to go back upstairs and pretend to be sick in case it doesn't work."

"Alright. But you seriously owe me. Big time."

Benny and Ethan went back upstairs and climbed back into Ethan's bed. A little while later they heard the front door open. After a few minutes Sarah came up and knocked on Ethan's bedroom door.

"Come in." Ethan yelled to her.

Sarah opened the door and looked at them. "Well, it wasn't easy, but I did it. You guys are lucky I was able to do it the first time I tried. I think Jane knew what I was doing though."

"I'm going to tell her. Just not now." Ethan said. "I don't want her to be worrying about it."

"That's a good idea." Sarah agreed. "So, how are you doing, Ethan?"

"Okay, I guess, considering the circumstances." he answered.

"Benny," Sarah said, "um, did Ethan tell you what I said?"

"What you said?" Benny asked, confused. "No, I don't think he mentioned it."

"Oh." Ethan said, suddenly remembering. "I'm sorry, Sarah. I kind of got... distracted... by other things."

"It's alright." she told him. "I guess it's better for me to tell him in person."

Benny looked at them. "Tell me what?"

"I'm sorry for yelling at you and blaming you for what happened to Ethan. I know it's not your fault; I was upset but I had no right to take it out on you."

Benny wore a surprised but relieved look. "Thanks."

"Erica, on the other hand..." Sarah sighed. "I haven't talked to her. I can't believe she did this to you."

"I'm not mad at her." Ethan insisted. "I'm not mad at anyone. I don't want anyone to be blamed for this. I knew the risks when I started hanging out with vampires. Really, this was bound to happen sooner or later."

Sarah was a bit surprised by Ethan's words. "How can you just be so forgiving of everyone?"

"Because he's amazing." Benny answered quietly, not looking at either of them. He could feel their eyes on him. It was at times like this that he wished he could just keep his mouth shut. But it seemed like he was slipping up a lot more lately.

"So," Sarah tried to change the subject, "have you seen your fangs yet?"

"My fangs?" Ethan asked. "No, I haven't even protracted them yet."

"Not even once?" she asked disbelievingly.

"Not even once." he answered.

"They're kind of cool, really, once you get used to having them."

"How do I make them come out?"

"Um... you just... think about it I guess. It's the same as moving any other part of your body, you just do it." she attempted to explain.

"Ok. Um..." Ethan just pictured his fangs jutting out, and then felt a sliding sensation in his gums. When he felt something poking his lips, he pulled the surgical mask aside so he could open his mouth and feel his sharp hew teeth. He put his hand up to his mouth and let a finger rub over one of his fangs. "That is sort of cool."

"Let me see." Benny turned back to him as Ethan showed him. But he couldn't quite see them so he grabbed Ethan's chin gently and tilted his head in a few different directions so he could get a better view. "Wow. That is cool." Then he looked away from Ethan's teeth and up to his eyes, which were tinted with surprise and... fear? Benny released him immediately. "Sorry. Here, put your mask back on." He helped Ethan position the mask back over his mouth and nose and saw him return to normal.

"What was that all about?" Sarah asked, having witnessed their moment.

"Ethan took his mask off." was the only explanation Benny gave. And Ethan was still a little uncomfortable to say anything.

"Oh, right, he needs to keep it on." Sarah remembered. "I'm sorry." And awkward silence followed, with no one being able to meet anyone else's eyes.

"Benny," Ethan said, breaking the silence, "I have to go to the bathroom."

"Again?" Benny asked with a laugh, bringing the awkward level down to a minimum. "You've already gone three times today."

Ethan blushed, knowing Sarah was right there listening to their conversation. "So? I have to go again."

"Do you think you can do it by yourself?"

Ethan made a face like he was ashamed. "No."

"Are you sure?" Benny asked, remembering how uncomfortable Ethan was the first time he had to be in there with him.

"I guess I can try." Ethan was a little annoyed, but he knew Benny was just trying to be sensitive to his feelings. So he moved slightly away from Benny. But as soon as he wasn't touching him, the pain came back ten times worse than the last time, causing him to let out a scream and lash a hand out to grab Benny's arm. "No. I really can't, Benny."

"Hoo." Benny let out a pant, having experienced a high magnitude of pain as well. "Wow. I'm sorry about that. If it hurt me that bad I can't imagine what you just felt."

"Will you just come with me? I really gotta go!" By this point, Ethan was sort of bouncing and wiggling in a way that just made him look so adorable that Benny would have said 'yes' to any request.

"Okay." Benny said as he and Ethan stood. "We'll be right back," he told Sarah.

"Whatever. I guess I'll just wait here then." she sounded annoyed.

Benny waked Ethan to the bathroom and stood behind Ethan but facing away from him as Ethan used the toilet. He had his eyes squinted shut and his fingers in his ears so he wouldn't see or hear anything. He knew Ethan was embarrassed enough. Luckily they both had bare feet, so they could both put a foot back and touch their heels together, keeping them from feeling the immense pain.

When Ethan was finished he tapped Benny on the shoulder. "You know, you don't have to do that."

"Do what?"

"Close your eyes and ears. You've seen me naked before."

"I know I have. But I've never _looked_ at you, Ethan. I don't want to invade your privacy like that."

"You don't want to invade my privacy? Just last week you barged in here to brush your teeth while I was in the shower!"

"Yeah but I didn't see anything! Since I discovered these feelings I've been acting like I'm just a regular guy. I swear I never looked at you but I couldn't just refuse to be around you whenever we were going to be undressed or something. Don't you think it'd be a little weird if I actually made a point of looking away?"

"Well then if you didn't do it then why are you doing it now?"

"Because things are different now!" Benny said a little louder than he'd intended. "You may not think they are, but it's true. Yes, I had these feelings long before you found out about them, but now that you know, I don't want to do anything that would give you the wrong idea. I would never do anything to hurt you or take advantage of you. And I know you know that, but that doesn't change the fact that I have these feelings. Whether you realize it or not, you see me differently now."

"But Benny... no, I really don't see you differently. Just because you like me like that-"

"You see?" Benny interrupted. "That's the part I don't think you understand. I don't like you. I _love_ you. I love you, Ethan. And I'm not asking you to love me back, or do anything for that matter. I just want you to be safe and happy and I don't ever want to give you a reason to think I want any more than that."

"But I already know you wouldn't-"

"Ethan." Benny interrupted him yet again. "I know. I know you have complete trust and faith in me, but I don't want to take any chances. Not if it risks losing you."

"Losing me?"

"Yeah." Benny said with intense eyes. "Do you remember that time you asked me what my biggest fear is?"

Ethan, feeling like a prisoner in Benny's gaze, nodded slightly.

Benny breathed in before continuing. "I don't remember what I told you. But it doesn't matter, because whatever it was, it was a lie. Because ever since I first met you, my biggest fear has been losing you."

"Even... before...?" Ethan's voice broke.

"Way before."

"Benny..."

Benny held Ethan's gaze for a moment before blinking, breaking eye contact. He took a step back and let Ethan recompose himself. "Come on," he tugged on his arm, "Sarah's probably wondering what's taking so long."

"Oh," Ethan said, letting Benny pull him toward his bedroom, "right. Sarah."

"What were you guys doing in there?" she asked when they came back. "I heard yelling."

"We..." Ethan paused as he searched for the words, "we had a bit of an argument. But we're good now."

"An argument? About what?"

Ethan tried to smile as if nothing was wrong. "Nothing important. Just... guy things."

"Ah." She said with a nod. "Say no more, the less I have to hear about your 'guy things' the better. So, do you need anything else? I kind of have some homework I gotta do."

"No, I think you can go if you need to." Ethan said, kind of disappointed she couldn't stay longer.

"Thanks. But feel free to call me if you need help with anything else. I know the whole vampire thing can be hard to deal with, so if you need me I'll do my best to help you out."

"Thanks, Sarah." Ethan waved as she left. "So," he moved his arm out of Benny's grasp so he could take his hand, "what do you want to do now?"

Benny didn't squeeze Ethan's hand like he usually did. This time he just let Ethan hold it. He was afraid. He was scared to do anything affectionate because he didn't want to freak Ethan out. "I'm sorry I yelled at you."

"Don't worry about it." Ethan said in a soothing voice.

"But I mean it. I'm just... frustrated. I just want to protect you."

"You do protect me. But lately I'm not sure what you're trying to protect me from."

"Getting hurt." Benny explained. "I can't stand even the thought of you being hurt. And I know that sometimes it's unavoidable. Certain parts of life come with certain types of pain. But my job is to find the pain that _is_ avoidable and protect you from it. And if that means protecting you from myself, then I'll do it."

"I don't want you to." Ethan argued. "You... you're not a danger to me. I don't need to be protected from my best friend! If anything, _I'm_ more of a danger to _you_ right now! At any moment I could just lose it and bite you. And when I do have to bite you, I could kill you! And if I don't bite you, you'll still die. You could die right now and it would be all my fault!"

"That's why you're wearing the mask." Benny reminded him. "See? You're in pain right now because you think you're going to kill me, but I've taken that threat away by placing that mask on your face. You can't smell me as much, so I'm safe. And when you bite me, I know you'll be able to stop yourself before you kill me. I know it. You won't be able to kill me, Ethan. I'm not even scared. I trust you with my life. So you don't have to worry about it at all."

"How do you know I won't kill you? What if I bite you and my vampire instincts take over? What if I drink too much of your blood? What if I can't stop! What if-"

Benny silenced Ethan by wrapping his arms around him and holding him tightly. "Ethan. Who's the one person who can stop you from freaking out just by hugging you?"

Ethan didn't even have to think about it. "You." he said against Benny's chest. Without even thinking he locked his arms around Benny, feeling his warmth through his shirt. And he felt Benny's hands on his back, the touch so familiar and comforting that he almost felt like he could fall asleep.

"Exactly. No matter what's going through your mind, I know that you'll remember it's me. And your desire to not kill me will overrule your instinct to keep going."

"Then why do I need the mask? You said you wanted me thinking clearly..."

"It makes it less of a risk." Benny answered.

Ethan felt his eyes water at the thought of Benny dying because of him. Then he sniffed a few times and tried to make his voice as even as possible. "Do you really love me?"

"Ethan..." Benny said, clearly not wanting to discuss it.

"Please, Benny." Ethan begged. "Just answer me. Do you really feel like that for me?"

"Yes, Ethan." Benny whispered, because he was afraid his voice would betray him. "I really do."

"I wish you didn't."

When Benny heard this he dropped his arms from around Ethan and tried to pull away.

"No!" Ethan hugged him tighter, refusing to let him escape. Benny used to be stronger than him, but with his newfound strength he was able to keep the bigger boy right where he was. "I didn't mean it like that. It's not that I don't want you to. I just wish you didn't because I feel like I don't deserve it. All these years you've been in love with me, and I didn't even notice! I keep thinking about all the conversations we've had about girls, and I only see now that you were faking all of them just to keep me happy. All you've done for me and..."

"I didn't want you to notice." Benny insisted. "I never wanted you to know at all. But soon it got to the point where I felt like you had to know or else I wasn't being a good friend. But I didn't want you to just find out by accident. I never wanted that to happen. I was going to tell you. You know I was, but then you were bitten and I didn't want to tell you then because you had enough to worry about. But I felt so bad. I felt like I was keeping this horrible secret from you. And, I mean... we know everything about each other. So I really wanted to tell you. And I knew that you wouldn't return my feelings but that you wouldn't hate me for them either. But I still worried, you know? And so I couldn't stop thinking about whether or not I should tell you. When I should do it. How I should do it. And then you had that vision and I knew... I knew it had something to do with me. The way you looked at me... like you were scared of me."

"I'm sorry."

"Yeah, because it's your fault I can't get my shit together." Benny mocked.

"Benny!" Ethan scolded. "Stop it. I know you only swear when you get really upset, so just take a deep breath, ok?" He felt Benny's chest expand and contract against him. "There. Now just keep breathing and listen. I don't want to say this but I think I have to. We can't leave it as this... unspoken thing. I... I don't feel the same. But I do... um... I do love you, Benny. Just not the same way. You're my best friend and I don't want you thinking that I could ever hate you or be uncomfortable around you. I mean, I guess you're right, that certain things might weird me out but I really don't think they will. I think it would be weirder if we didn't hug and stuff all the time. I just really don't want to lose any part of our friendship, ok? Because if I lose part of it, I could lose all of it. So... we've been tip-toeing around it this whole time, but I think it's time one of us just lays down the law. I don't want to hurt your feelings, but I just don't feel that way about you. But that doesn't mean you have to hide your feelings for me. Just be yourself. I think we'll both be happiest that way."

"Are you sure that's what you want?"

"I'm totally sure."

"Alright. Your wish is my command. I'll do my best."

"Thank you." Ethan pulled away a little bit.

"So, how are you feeling? Thirsty?"

"Maybe a little bit. But it's not that bad."

"Don't give me that, Ethan. If you're thirsty, drink. You need it."

"Is that going to go away? You know, once this is over?"

"Probably. Normally you should only have to feed about twice a day."

"And I'll be able to drink the substitute, right? I won't have to keep drinking human blood?"

"Yeah. Because you don't need just any human's blood. You need mine. So I would assume that once we're both vampires the substitute would work for both of us."

"Good." Ethan said, relieved.

X

"Ethan?" Benny asked after a few hours of old Godzilla movies. They were sitting on Ethan's bed, with their backs against the headboard. "Are you... feeling okay?"

"What?" Ethan asked. "I don't know. My head feels kind of fuzzy."

"Are you tired?" Benny was curious as to why Ethan's eyes seemed to be changing colors.

"No. I just feel... anxious, I guess."

"Anxious? How?"

"I don't know. Like I'm supposed to be doing something." He leaned a little closer to Benny. "You smell nice."

"Uh... Ethan." Benny snapped in his face to get his attention. "ETHAN." he said a little louder.

"Huh?" He blinked. "What?"

"I think it's time."

"Time? What time?" Ethan didn't understand. But when he saw Benny bite his lip, it clicked. "Oh, you mean... How do you know?"

"Your eyes. They're all, like... fierce. And you kind of out of it just now. I think... we need to do it now. I mean, I guess we could wait if you want to, but the longer we wait, the riskier it becomes."

"No. Now. Let's do it now and get it over with."

"Okay." Benny agreed easily.

"So... um... how do you want me to...?"

"Oh. Well, I don't know. But I guess if I'm going to be bitten by a vampire, we might as well go classic." he answered, patting his neck.

Ethan laughed. "Of course. I'll just... uh... do this, and..." He got up on his knees, careful to keep contact with Benny, and swung one leg over Benny's, which were stretched straight out. Then he pulled his mask off and threw it onto the floor. He put one hand on Benny's shoulder and used the other to tilt his head in the opposite direction, exposing the base of his best friend's neck. He eyed the smooth skin cautiously, and started to feel a little scared again. "I can't do this."

"You have to."

Ethan shook his head. "I can't."

Benny lifted his arms and placed his hands on either side of Ethan's face, forcing him to look into his eyes. "Ethan. You _have_ to."

"I can't, Benny." he insisted quietly, squeezing his eyes shut.

Benny slid his hands down Ethan's cheeks, across his shoulders, and down his sides until they rested in his waist, all the while aware that he was crossing the boundaries he'd so carefully laid out for himself. He couldn't help the images that flashed in his brain. He knew he'd feel bad about them later, but really, how often did he have the chance to feel Ethan like this? To be pinned beneath him yet completely in control? "Yes, you can. You'll die if you don't."

"Me? Who cares about me? I don't want you to die, Benny."

"I'm not going to die, Ethan." Benny said in a calm voice. "I promise."

"You can't make a promise like that."

"Too late, looks like I already did. Now just do it, Ethan. We'll both die if you don't do this. I'm sorry to put you under this much pressure but all you have to do to save us us bite me. That's it. Just one little bite and we'll be fine."

"I don't know..."

"Well I do. You can do it, Ethan. I know you can. You're going to bite me and then we'll be safe. It will all be over in a matter of seconds. Just do it."

"What if I hurt you?"

"It's better than killing me." Benny attempted a joke. "Seriously, Ethan. Come on, buddy. I want this, remember? And this way we can stay friends forever. It's not a bad thing. So just try, at least. Please."

Ethan took a deep breath and nodded. "Right. Okay. Here I go, I guess..." He leaned in closer to Benny, held steady by the strong hands on his hips, and opened his mouth wide. He forced his fangs out and before he had time to have more second thoughts, he clamped his mouth down on Benny's neck, piercing through his flesh.

X

:Ethan's POV:

I can't believe I'm doing this. I can barely breathe. Partly because I'm afraid to, since Benny just smells so freaking good. I know that's a weird thing to say about your best friend, but it's true. It's like every single delicious smell perfectly combined just to draw me in.

I don't think I'll ever forget the feeling of my fangs digging into his warm skin. It sent a surge of adrenaline through my body, both frightening me and exciting me at the same time. It was like biting into a pear, a little rough but still had that satisfying pop as my teeth ripped through it.

And then the taste of his blood. It was unlike anything I'd ever tasted before. Obviously, since it was the first time I ever drank real blood. Sure, the occasional nosebleed forced me to sample my own as a human, so I'd been expecting it to taste just like that. But this was so much different. I don't know if it was because I was a vampire or just because it was Benny's blood, or maybe a combination of the two, but it was delicious. It was warm and thick, almost like a salty homemade soup as it slipped past my tongue and down my throat. And there was a certain unplaceable sweetness to it. Just a small twang near the back of my tongue that made it even tastier.

It was an irresistible flavor that was almost impossible for me to comprehend. And I never wanted to stop tasting it.

X

:Benny's POV:

I wasn't ready for the pain that came when Ethan bit me. I expected it to be like a little pinch, or like a bee sting. But it was a hundred times worse than that. And it didn't go away as he kept drinking the blood that flowed from me. It was so bad I thought I might die from the pain alone; my whole upper body felt like it was on fire. And my throat was seizing up as well. I couldn't catch my breath and my eyes were watering from the strain.

But I tried not to focus on the pain. I tried to focus my attention on all the places Ethan was touching me. His legs on either side of me. His hand on my shoulder and his other one in my hair. And of course his lips locked firmly on my bare skin. I knew this was as close to a kiss as I would ever get. So regardless of how much pain it was causing me, I was cherishing the feel of his gentle lips against my skin. It was beautiful.

But then I started to feel strange. As I felt my blood whoosh out of the holes Ethan created in my skin, I started to feel dizzy. I couldn't quite locate the different sensations on my body and I lost control of my limbs. I felt weak. And then I blacked out.

X

:3rd Person POV:

Ethan was entranced by the taste of the liquid gushing into his mouth. But when he felt Benny's arms fall from his hips to the bed, something pulled him out of this hypnotic state. He felt the rest of Benny's body go slack and realized he'd taken way too much of Benny's blood.

He stopped immediately and dislodged his fangs from Benny's neck. A drop of blood dribbled down his neck and soaked into the collar of Benny's shirt. Ethan retracted his fangs, licked the excess blood off his lips and looked at his friend in worry.

"Benny?" He shook him gently. "Benny. Benny, wake up." He tried shaking him harder and patting his face, but he didn't open his eyes. "Oh, no. No no no no _no. _This is _not_ happening, Benny. Come on, wake up." Ethan leaned back to get a better look at him. He was so pale and when Ethan tried to slap him awake again, his skin was ice-cold to the touch. Then he tried to listen for any sign of a heartbeat by placing his ear against Benny's chest. He was somewhat relieved to hear a tiny pulsation, but it was so quiet and they were coming so slowly. And he wasn't breathing. "Why aren't you breathing, Benny?" Ethan started to cry as he lifted Benny's head and tilted it back. He peeled his eyelids open one at a time and tried to get his attention but his eyes were glassed over and empty.


	7. Saved

**Chapter 7 - Saved (Posted 27 August 2011)**

Ethan suddenly felt very scared. And very alone. And he hated that feeling. Especially since Benny was usually the one to drive it away instead of be the cause of it. He didn't know what to do. So he pulled out his cell phone and called Sarah.

"Hey, Ethan." she answered. "How's it going? Are you-"

"Sarah, you have to help me." Ethan interrupted her loudly. "Please, Sarah, I'm so scared. I have no idea..."

"Woah, woah, Ethan calm down. What's wrong?"

"Benny. He just... he's not... he's all pale and cold and he's not waking up and his heart is barely beating and he's not breathing, Sarah. He's not breathing and I don't know what to do."

"Oh my gosh, Ethan, just stay calm, I'll be right there. But you have to come downstairs and let me in, okay? I'll be there in just a minute."

"Okay." Ethan hung up and tried to gather enough strength to stand up but as soon as contact with Benny was broken the pain crippled him. He fell to a heap on the floor. He knew Sarah would be waiting for him, but he also knew he couldn't make it downstairs. So he crawled over to the window. "Sarah!" he yelled out.

"Ethan?" he heard Sarah's voice call back. "Where are you?"

"Bedroom window." he answered as loud as he could. The pain was really starting to get to him. But he knew Sarah was a full vampire now, so she could fly.

"Why aren't you downstairs?"

"Just come in. Then I'll tell you."

Since Sarah had now officially been invited into Ethan's house, she flew inside and landed on the floor with a soft thump. "Benny still hasn't woken up?"

"No." Ethan panted.

"What's wrong with you?"

"The pain... it... I can't..."

Sarah leaned down and picked Ethan up, carrying him over to Benny and setting him aside of him. "That better?"

As soon as Ethan was touching Benny, he felt instantly better. It took a few seconds for him to get his strength back, but he was able to speak and think clearly. "Yeah. Thanks."

"I thought that was supposed to go away when you bit him?"

"It was!" Ethan realized. "Oh my god, I killed him..."

"No, you didn't..." Sarah said. She could hear his heart beating. "Something is delaying the change, keeping him human, but just barely alive. Was there something else you were supposed to do?'

"I don't think so. Benny's gramma didn't say anything. All I know is that because of the blood bond we created when we were little, Benny's body couldn't handle being different from mine. That's why I had to bite him, because-"

"That's it!" Sarah pointed at him. "You're bodies are still too different. When you bit him, you became a full vampire, but he only became a fledgeling. So his body is refusing to let the change happen unless it'll happen all the way. That's why you're still in pain, because you didn't fix the whole problem."

"But... he's dying..." Ethan looked back at his unconscious friend.

"How much blood did you take?"

"Too much. I know I took too much. I didn't mean to..."

"I know." Sarah said. "But you didn't kill him. Honestly, it's probably better this way because if you had let him keep enough blood to keep him conscious, he'd probably be in a lot of pain."

"What do we do?" Ethan asked.

"He needs human blood to make the transformation complete."

"But he's unconscious! He can't bite anyone..."

"I know... but there has to be a way..."

Ethan's eyes widened as an idea came to him. "Duh!" he yelled to himself. "He can drink my blood!"

"Ethan, no, it doesn't work that way."

"No, you don't understand. Remember when that blood bank came to our school and it turned out they were vampires? We were able to save Rory and Erica by giving them some of my blood."

"Okay, but you're a vampire now, you don't-"

"I know that. But a few days after that, I realized that we might have more situations like that. And so I went and had some more taken out and kept in storage in case we needed it."

"Ethan, that's brilliant!"

"Right?" Ethan said excitedly. "But it's at my uncle's lab in the next city."

"Did you tell your uncle that you planned on using your blood to bargain with evil vampires?"

"Of course not." Ethan stood, but kept touching Benny. "I told him it was for a science experiment. He's a biochemist, so he has this amazing laboratory."

"Awesome. So how do we get the blood?"

"It won't take us long to get there, but I don't like the idea of leaving Benny here until we get back. So we have to take him and give him the blood there. I can fly, right?"

"You should be able to, yeah."

"Good. Grab under his shoulder, like this." Ethan demonstrated, hooking his arm under Benny's armpit and grabbing his arm.

"Okay." Sarah copied him on the other side.

Ethan bent forward and reached into Benny's pants pocket. He pulled something out with a smile and stuck it in his own pocket before nodding and saying, "Now we'll carry him to the lab." They lifted Benny and dragged him over to the window. He wasn't that heavy, since they had super strength. "Ready?"

"Ready."

They jumped out the window, Benny dangling lifelessly between them as Ethan led the way to his uncle's lab. When they landed out front, Ethan pulled a key out of his pocket and handed it to Sarah. "Here, you open the door."

Sarah took the key ad unlocked the door as she watched Ethan lift Benny's entire body into his arms. "Is this what you took out of Benny's pocket before we left?"

"Yep. He keeps the key with him all the time."

"Why?"

"He was with me when I had the blood drawn." Ethan answered, carrying Benny inside the building. He carried him into a room filled with fireproof tables and set him down propped up against the wall. "He came with me because I'm _terrified_ of needles. And, you know... he really knows how to keep me calm. And then when my uncle gave me the key, Benny offered to keep it so I wouldn't have to be reminded of needles all the time."

"That's sweet of him."

"Yeah." Ethan smiled a little as he walked over to a large vault with a number pad on the front. "He's always looking out for me. And I repay him by almost killing him."

"Come on, Ethan, you didn't do it on purpose. And he knows that."

"I know." He punched a code into the keypad and the vault opened.

"What's that?"

"Special cryogenic chamber. Benny and I helped design it. With a little bit of magic, of course." Ethan walked inside and came out a few seconds later with a bag filled with thick, red liquid. "Keeps the blood cold like it's frozen, but it's not solid."

"Geeks to the very end."

"Absolutely." Ethan crouched down next to Benny. He pulled him against him and let Benny's head lay against his shoulder. Opening the plastic cap sticking out of the bag, he placed the opening on Benny's lips. Then he took his other hand and pulled Benny's lower jaw down, pressing the side of his neck so the blood would go down the right pipe. Benny wasn't breathing anyway, so he wasn't too worried about cutting off his air supply. He tipped the back of the blood bag up, letting some of the blood flow into Benny's open mouth and down his throat.

The bag was about half empty when Benny started coughing violently, spitting drops of blood all over the floor.

"Benny!" Ethan gasped, holding onto him. Benny was crouching forward now, on his hands and knees, trying to get his breath back. He felt a hand on his back, rubbing it soothingly and he tried to focus on that instead of the fact that he couldn't breathe. "Breathe slowly, Benny. If you breathe too fast you'll only choke harder."

Benny nodded like he understood and tried to take smaller, slower breaths until he finally took one big one and let his shoulders slump down as his breathing returned to normal. Then he sat back up against the wall, still breathing kind of heavily but mostly because he was so thankful to be breathing again.

"Benny-" Ethan leaned forward to ask him something, but forgot what as soon as he felt hands on his shoulders and a pair of soft lips on his. He heard Sarah gasp but his eyes closed and, even though he knew Benny was kissing him, it was like he didn't really know what was happening until he felt himself being pushed away.

"I'm sorry." Benny's voice was saturated with guilt and his eyes, formerly glassed over were now brimming with tears. "I'm so sorry, Ethan. It was just a heat of the moment thing, you know? I couldn't control it... I... I totally ruined the moment."

"No, Benny-" Ethan tried to protest, but Benny stood and began walking away from him. "Where are you going?"

"Home."

"What? You can't just go home." Ethan called after him as he stood.

"Yeah I can." Benny said without turning around. "You saved me. Which means we don't have to be touching anymore."

"That doesn't mean you can just leave."

"Ethan, you have no idea how horrible I feel..."

"What, because of a kiss? It's just a kiss, it's not a big deal."

"No, it _is_ a big deal. I never wanted to do that, Ethan. I just... I was overwhelmed and I was so proud of you and... I wasn't thinking. I mean that's always why things go wrong, right? Because I wasn't thinking. I can't believe I-"

"Stop it!" Ethan demanded. "Just stop it, Benny. Sarah," he looked over to the girl, who was wearing a shocked and confused face, "can you give us a minute?"

She blinked a few times and nodded. "Uh... sure." And she left the room.

"I hate this." Benny whispered once she was gone. He still didn't turn to face Ethan.

"What are you talking about?"

"I hate that I have these feelings, Ethan. I mean, don't get me wrong, it's totally worth it, but sometimes I just hate myself so much for being so stupid..."

"Don't say that."

"But it's true. I don't understand why I had to be the one to fall in love with you. Why couldn't it be someone else?" Benny's voice was broken, like he was crying. "Why couldn't it be some who actually had a chance with you?"

"Like who?"

"Like Sarah. I mean I really don't understand what's wrong with her. Here you are, obviously head over heals for her, and she totally brushes it off like it doesn't even matter. I wish she'd just realize how totally freaking awesome you are and just admit that she likes you already."

"But that doesn't... wait... she likes me?"

"Of course she does. Which is why I don't understand why one of you hasn't made a move yet. You both stare at each other and flirt with each other and all that lovey dovey stuff. If you like each other so much, you should do something about it."

Ethan thought for a minute. "How did you saying you hate yourself turn into a lecture on how much Sarah and I like each other."

"Because I just kissed you in front of her."

"Oh... well maybe she'll just pass it off as a reaction to being alive?"

"But she heard some of the things I was saying." Benny told him. "We're going to have to tell her what's going on, or else she might come to the wrong conclusion." He turned around and finally looked at Ethan. "I've been rooting for you guys."

"You have?"

"Yeah." Benny said like it should have been obvious.

"But... you..."

"You like her. A lot. And I love you but... do you really think I would prevent you from being with someone who makes you happy?"

Ethan furrowed his brows. "Benny..."

"No, dude, listen." Benny walked toward him and put a hand on his shoulder. "You know how I feel about you. And if I thought for a second that I honestly had a shot... I would probably be trying my hardest to woo you." He winked, making Ethan laugh a little and roll his eyes. "But I don't. And I'm okay with that as long as I can help you find someone you do want to be with. And right now that person is Sarah. So I think we need to tell her what's going on, so she doesn't think there's someone going on between us."

"You really want to do that for me?"

"Of course."

"And... it won't be weird for you if... I ask her out?"

"It might be a little weird for me." Benny admitted. "But the the pros outweigh the cons."

"What are the pros?"

"Seeing you happy and knowing I had a hand in that happiness."

Ethan bit his lip. "And the cons?"

"Seeing you with someone else. But like I said, it won't be that bad as long as you're happy."

"Thanks."

"For what?"

"For being honest with me."

Benny smiled. "It's what you asked me to do."

"Are you feeling better now? You're not gonna storm out of here and leave me wondering if you're okay?"

"I'm not going to storm out." Benny said. "But I am going to leave."

"What? Why?"

"I have to go home and tell Gramma how everything worked out. And you have to take Sarah back to your house so she can take your family out of the trance she put them in. We'll talk about this more in school tomorrow, okay?"

"Well... okay..."

Benny smiled again and pulled Ethan into a quick, tight hug before running out of the building.


	8. Raoul

**Chapter 8 - Raoul (Posted 9 September 2011)**

Ethan pursed his lips and watched as his best friend ran away from him. He walked outside to Sarah feeling disappointed in himself, though he wasn't sure why.

"Where's Benny?" She asked when he got to her.

"He went home." Ethan was confused. Why would he just leave? After something literally life-changing like that, how could he just... leave him?

"Is he okay?"

"Yeah, I guess. He looked fine. But... I don't know he just... he just left. I just saved his life. Sort of. And it was like he didn't want to be around me."

"He probably felt bad about kissing you."

"Oh yeah." Ethan suddenly remembered something. He looked into Sarah's eyes. "I have to tell you something. A few things actually."

She nodded like she understood. "I have something to tell you too."

"Benny and I agreed that we should tell you this... I just don't know if I should do it now or wait until he's here to tell you with me..."

"Well I can only listen to one person talk at a time so you might as well just tell me." Sarah shrugged.

Ethan thought about it. She was right, really. Even if they were together, only one of them could do the talking. And he had left him there all on his own. If he'd wanted to to tell her together, he shouldn't have left. "You're right. I guess I should just tell you. Benny... Benny is in love with me."

She just stared at him. And then she laughed. "Okay, seriously, not the best prank you could have come up with, but still pretty funny."

"It's not a prank." Ethan said, offended. How dare she insult Benny's feelings that way! "He's in love with me."

"Come on, Ethan." she put a hand on her hip like she still didn't believe him.

"I'm telling you the truth! This is serious!" Ethan insisted. "Benny is in love with me and he just kissed me and I..." his voice got smaller, "I totally acted like it was no big deal. Oh my God, that's why he left. He finally kissed me and I acted like it meant nothing to me!"

"Didn't it?"

"What?"

"The kiss. Did it mean anything to you?"

"...No? I don't know. Shouldn't it? I mean, he's my best friend. He's been in love with me since sixth grade and he's been holding back all this time, trying to protect me and give me anything I want and then he finally kisses me and I can't even give him that one thing..."

"You don't owe him that." Sarah said. "If you don't feel the same way, I'm sure he didn't expect you to kiss him back."

"Well yeah, but... but I still... he's always been there for me and I've been trying to think of a way to show him how much I appreciate it and then that happens and I don't realize I could be making him really happy until he pushes me away."

"Because he doesn't want you to do something you don't want." Sarah offered, trying to sound comforting.

Ethan took a breath. He knew Sarah was only trying to help, but she wasn't really doing a good job. "I guess."

"So what else do you have to tell me?"

"Huh? Oh, right..." he shook his head in an attempt to organize his thoughts. Though separating the Benny-related ones from the non-Benny-related ones was proving to be a very difficult task since they were so closely interwoven. "I like you."

She chuckled. "Yeah, I know."

"You do?"

"Yep. It's pretty obvious."

"Oh..."

"But I'm glad." she stepped a little closer to him. "Because I like you too."

Ethan's jaw dropped. Benny was right. "Really?" He asked like a telemarketer just told him he could get a great deal on a new computer even if he had no credit.

"Uh-huh."

"Oh..."

"Yeah. I've liked you a lot for a while. And I knew you liked me right away, and that made me really happy. But I was afraid to tell you because I didn't know if... if I could be cured. And I didn't want to date a human until I was one again. And then when I became a full vampire, I thought I'd lost my chance forever. But then you got bitten. And I'm not saying that I'm happy you have to have this curse, but I am kind of happy because... now we can be together. If you want."

_Wow_. This was too much. He'd just almost killed his friend. Brought him back to life. Had his first kiss. With that best friend. And now his crush was telling him she liked him and wanted to be with him. How did they expect him to process this all at the same time? "Wow."

"Yeah." She nodded shyly, still not sure if Ethan still wanted her or not. "So, what do you say?"

"Say?"

"About us being a couple."

"Oh." Ethan blinked. "Okay."

"Yay!" she did a little happy jump and closed the distance between them, laying a light, brushing kiss on his lips.

Ethan didn't know what was different, but this kiss didn't really have much effect on him. It was just lips on lips. It didn't startle him or confuse him or make him light-headed or make him feel guilty like Benny's did. But it didn't really give him butterflies in his stomach or make him dizzy with emotion either. It was nice, but if this was what all kisses were supposed to be like, his imagination had severely overestimated their appeal. "Yay." He repeated her exclamation rather unexcitedly.

"Do you want to... fly together back to your house?"

"Sure. I guess." Ethan said, wondering why he wasn't exactly hyped about finally, _finally_ getting Sarah to be his girlfriend.

Sarah smiled happily and grabbed his hand as they jumped into the sky.

X

The next morning Ethan was back at school. His parents had been brought out of his trance with no recollection of being in one. They didn't seem too concerned with the lost time, attributing it to simply zoning out.

As usual, Ethan had been waiting for Benny to show up at his house so they could walk the rest of the way to school, but it eventually it became so late that he had to leave without him.

So now he was waiting by his locker, keping his eyes peeled for stripes and a messenger bag. When he felt someone tap him on the shoulder from behind. He turned around and, before he could see who it was, he felt a pair of lips press against his. He instantly knew it was Sarah, because he was feeling that same feeling of a banal connection he'd felt the night before.

"Finally!" A too-familiar voice came from behind them.

Ethan disconnected from Sarah immediately and spun around, feeling like the worst friend ever when he saw Benny standing there, a smile sitting naturally on his face. "Benny..."

"Dudes, you guys are totally perfect for each other." Benny stated with a happy grin. "This is awesome! I'm glad you guys finally did it. Well not _it_, but got together I mean."

Ethan blushed at Benny's words. Though they didn't really seem to bother Sarah.

"Thanks, Benny." Sarah said sincerely. "I'm glad the best friend approves."

Benny nodded. Of course he approved. He was happy for Ethan. And Sarah. But that didn't mean it wasn't hard to see.

"Benny..." Ethan repeated.

"Why do you look stressed out, E?" Benny asked. "A beautiful girl who you just happen to be in love with just _kissed_ you."

Ethan looked over at Sarah, who seemed like she was waiting for something. Was he supposed to do something? Say something? He didn't really know. "Benny, just-"

"Oh," Benny interrupted him, "I just remembered, I have to go to the main office. We're getting an exchange student from France and they want me to be his guide while he's here."

"Cool." Ethan said. "I'll go with you."

Benny furrowed his brow. "But... Sarah..." he pointed to her.

"Oh, it's fine." She said happily. "We'll have plenty of time to talk later."

"Thanks." Ethan smiled at her. "Let's go." He began walking toward the office.

Benny caught up to him and walked by his side. "You don't have to come with me."

"I want to." Ethan nodded. "I didn't know you were doing this."

"That's because I didn't tell you."

"Oh. Yeah. Okay. It's not like we tell each other everything or anything like that."

"I just found out about it last night. Gramma told me the school called. The girl they were going to have do it said she didn't want to anymore. So they asked me."

"Oh. Sorry." Ethan said, angry with himself for jumping to the wrong conclusion.

"It's okay." Benny said, not sounding angry at all.

There was a short awkward silence. So Ethan decided to fill it with awkward conversation. "So... about this whole thing with Sarah..."

To his surprise, Benny smiled a little. "I'm happy for you two."

Ethan looked at him, seeing his lips curved in an easy smile. "You really are." He sounded confused. Because he was.

"Of course I am. I told you I've been rooting for you."

"But isn't it... doesn't it hurt... at all?"

"Sure it does." Benny gave a little nod, avoiding Ethan's eyes. "Weren't you listening to me at all? She makes you happy. That's been my goal, but if someone else can make you happier than I can, I have to let them."

Ethan felt goosebumps brush along his arms and back at Benny's words. "You do make me happy, Benny. You always have..."

Benny shook his head. "Not like she will."

"But... we haven't even been going out for twenty four hours yet! How can you be so sure she'll make me happier than you can?"

"Because I've seen the way you look at her. I know that look, Ethan. She makes you happy. And if things work out, which I think they will, she's only going to keep making you happier and happier. You're a couple now. You're going to get to know everything about each other. You're gonna be really close to her. Probably closer than you are to me."

"What?" Ethan asked suddenly, stopping in his tracks. "What did you say?"

"I said," Benny stopped and looked into his eyes, "that one day you're going to be closer to her than you are to me."

Ethan's blood was boiling. He didn't want that. No one could take Benny's place. And no one could be put ahead of him. Not even Sarah. "And you're just going to stand back and let that happen?" he asked angrily.

"Let it happen?" Benny asked. "I _want_ it to happen."

"What? _Why_?" _I thought you loved me_.

"Because that's what happens when someone's in love with you and you love them back. You become almost like one person because you get so close. I mean, you don't lose your friends, I'm not saying we're not going to be like this." Benny laughed. "I'd like to see her try and stop us from hanging out. But your true love is like... your ultimate best friend. There's a special spot in your heart reserved just for them."

Ethan stared at him. "Where do you get this stuff?" he asked softly.

Benny shrugged. "I don't know."

"Romance novels?" Ethan asked. No answer. "Fanfiction? Movies? Telenovellas?"

The other boy simply shrugged again.

"Did you just come up with it on your own?"

Another shrug. "Maybe. It really doesn't matter."

"You're amazing. Why would you waste that kind of romantic stuff on me when you could be using it to get anyone you want?"

Benny blinked. "Because I don't want anyone."

Ethan swallowed. "Well, when you do find someone... don't forget all that."

A solemn smirk crept its way across Benny's face. "I wouldn't."

"Good..." Ethan said, looking away. Then he started walking silently again towards the office. They were there within a couple of steps.

Benny pushed the door open. He saw a shortish figure facing away from him, leaning over the front desk pointing to something on a piece of paper. A secretary was explaining something to him in a hushed tone. He had short, curly hair, a sandy color that looked almost coarse to the touch even though it was obviously silky smooth. His thin frame was accented by a long green shirt with a few gold stripes and a pair of blue jeans.

"There he is now." the secretary said when she caught sight of Benny.

The figure turned around, locking eyes with Benny, who was staring right back at him. "Hello," the boy said in a slight French accent, "I'm Raoul, the exchange student from France." He stuck his hand out to Benny.

Without even thinking about it, and without removing his eyes from Raoul's, he reached out and shook his hand. "Yeah. Hi. I'm... um..."

"Benny." Ethan said, giving him a confused look

"Right!" Benny said, pointing a finger to nowhere in particular. "I'm Benny, and I'll be showing you around and helping you out while you're here."

Raoul smiled, their hands still connected and moving up and down together. "Great. Well here is my schedule." He let go of Benny's hand, retrieved the paper from the secretary's hand, and handed it over to Benny. "Could you show me to my classes?"

"Sure." Benny said, reading over the schedule. "We have the first one together, so we can go there now if you want."

"That sounds good. Thank you."

"No problem. It's this way." Benny pulled the door open once again, holding it open as Raoul walked through it into the hallway. "You coming, Ethan?" He turned his head to look at his best friend. "Woah, are you okay?"

Ethan's face was completely white, and his eyes were wide, like someone had just run over his puppy. "I'm fine." he insisted, slapping his face softly a few times to bring the blood back. "You just... go on without me. I'll be there soon."

"You sure?"

"Yeah." Ethan's voice broke.

"Kay..." Benny looked worried, but left the office anyway and walked Raoul to their first class of the day.

Ethan stood there, bewildered and horrorstruck as he watched Benny walk away from him, talking happily with the exchange student. With a familiar twinkle in his eye.


	9. The Green Monster

**Chapter 9 - The Green Monster (Posted 20 September 2011)**

Ethan felt like the entire world was crashing down around him. He'd seen the look on Benny's face when he met Raoul. It wasn't _the_ look, but it was _a_ look, and that didn't sit right with him. How can he look at someone else like that when he claimed to have feelings for Ethan?

He hoisted his backpack into a more comfortable position on his back and left the office after Benny and Raoul were out of sight. He trudged to class, scowling as he continued to think about them.

His jaw tightened when he entered the classroom and saw Raoul sitting next to Benny. He wasn't in Ethan's seat, which eased some of the anger, but just the fact that he was next to him was rubbing him the wrong way.

"Oh, there you are, Ethan." Benny said when Ethan plopped down noisily in his chair. "I didn't get a chance to introduce you guys." He leaned back so Ethan and Raoul could see each other. Raoul was smiling, seemingly unaffected by Ethan's heavy scowl. "Raoul, this is my best bud, Ethan. E, this is Raoul, he's-"

"The French exchange student? Yeah, I know." Ethan huffed and sat back in his seat, refusing to look in their direction.

"Um... heh heh..." Benny laughed awkwardly, sliding away from Ethan just a little bit. He turned back to Raoul.

"Did I do something?" Raoul asked Benny, his eyes full of doubt.

"No," Benny assured him, "he probably just had a fight with his girlfriend." He gave Ethan a puzzled look. "I swear, he's awesome, just give him a chance."

"Okay." Raoul said.

"Can I ask you something?" Benny said, returning to his bubbly self.

Raoul smiled shyly. "Yes."

"Your accent... it's not..."

"It's not very French?" Raoul guessed. "I get that a lot."

"I didn't mean to offend you..."

"Oh, no." Roul insisted. "I'm not offended. I'm glad you asked. Most people just assume it's fake. It's really that even though I'm _from_ France, I'm hardly ever there."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, I travel all over the world. I have since birth. And French is my native language, but I know a few others, and since I spend so much time in foreign places, my accent is kind of watered down. A lot of people are disappointed when they hear it.."

"Well... I like it." Benny said, unaware that he was leaning closer to him.

"Thanks." Raoul's smile instantly became brighter.

Ethan fumed throughout the entire conversation. It was so obvious that they were flirting, and right in front of him!

He was relieved when the teacher walked in and began lecturing, cutting off Raoul's story of his time in England.

X

Ethan didn't get a chance to talk to Benny all morning. This new kid just wouldn't let up. He kept talking and talking and talking. Couldn't he see that nobody cared about his trip through Egypt or his time studying in China?

He was really steamed at lunch when he found them eating together. Along with Rory and Sarah, who were all listening to him tell another one of his stories. He almost didn't want to sit with them, but then where else would he sit?

So he walked over to them, slamming his tray down beside Sarah.

"Dude." Benny leered disapprovingly at him. "What is your problem?"

"I don't have a problem." he said without looking at him.

"Uh, yeah. You do." Benny accused. "You've been glaring daggers at me all morning. You were all cranky and... oh..." Benny made an 'o' with his mouth as he got an idea of what was making Ethan act like this. He turned and pulled a plastic bottle out of his bag and handed it to him. "I forgot to give this to you this morning. This should help."

Ethan's face didn't lighten as he grabbed it. "What is it?"

"What kind of question is that? You know what it is. I have one for Sarah too." he said, pulling out another one and handed it over to her. "Another new recipe. Let me know what you think. Gramma tried a new technique this time too."

"What is it?" Roul said, eyeing the bottles suspiciously. All the others around him stopped what they were doing and stared at him.

"Way to go, Benny." Ethan scolded him with venom in his voice. "Just pass it around in front of the new kid."

"What the hell, Ethan?" Benny asked.

"Maybe I should go sit somewhere else..." Raoul said, looking hurt. He began to stand, but Benny caught his wrist.

"No, you didn't do anything wrong. Ethan's being a jerk." Benny sent a confused look toward Ethan.

"Fine." Ethan said, standing up. "I'll see you guys later." He grabbed his tray and walked away, dumping all the uneaten food into the garbage and exiting the cafeteria.

"What's wrong with him today?" Rory asked. "Did you two have a fight or something?" He directed the question to Benny.

"Not that I know of." Benny answered.

"I don't think he likes me." Raoul spoke up.

"That can't be it." Sarah comforted him. "He doesn't even know you."

"But every time he's around me he's angry." Raoul argued.

"I'm going to go talk to him." Benny said, standing. "Don't worry, Raoul, I'm sure he's just... undernourished or something." He ran after Ethan. But he lost the trail once he got into the hallway. He looked around, trying to figure out where he could have gone. Then he heard shuffling in a nearby bathroom and rushed in. All the stalls were open except for the handicap one down at the end, where Benny could clearly see Ethan sitting on the floor. "Ethan?"

"Go away, Benny." Ethan said through a strained voice.

"Are you crying?" Benny hurried over to the stall and tried to open the door but it was locked.

"No. Of course not." He said before giving a little sniff.

"Oh, Ethan." Benny said, each sniff tugging at his heart. "Don't cry. I'm coming in."

"No, don't!" Ethan insisted.

"Too late." Benny got down on the floor and climbed under the stall door and came face to face with Ethan. "Just tell me why you're crying. I can't help you if you don't tell me what's going on."

"I don't need your help." Ethan pouted and looked away.

Benny put his hands on Ethan's knees, which were pulled up to Ethan's chin. "Ethan, I gave you the blood, why didn't you drink it."

"I'm not thirsty."

"You must be..."

"I'm not. I still had some left over at home so I drank some."

"When?" Benny asked curiously.

"Last night before bed and this morning before school."

"Well maybe you didn't drink enough..."

"I had enough, Benny! Just leave me alone!"

"No. If you have enough blood in you then you shouldn't be acting like a jerk. I want to know what's going on and I want to know now."

Ethan looked right into his eyes and said, "You're a liar."

"What?" Benny had no clue what he was talking about.

"You lied to me."

"About what?"

Ethan bit his lip. "Never mind. Just leave. Please."

"Right. I'm just going to leave you here to cry on the bathroom floor. I don't think so, Ethan."

"You said you loved me."

"What...?" Benny's voice was weak.

"You told me you loved me."

Benny tried to take a breath, but suddenly didn't feel like he could. Didn't feel like he should. So he backed away from Ethan and stood up, facing the door of the stall as if he were about to open it.

"Where are you going?" Ethan's voice was strained again, indicating that he was crying harder now.

Benny's fingers curled into loose fists at his sides as he hung his head. "I told you to tell me if it bothered you." he said quietly.

"What?" Ethan looked up at him.

"I'm sorry." Benny said, unable to turn around and face him. "I was afraid this would happen. You said you were okay with it... but I should have realized..."

Ethan stood. "Realized what? Benny?"

"I'm sorry."

"Benny, stop it, you know I hate it when you do that." Ethan said.

Benny reached up and unlocked the door, letting it swing out so he could leave the stall. "Yeah, I know. And I'm sorry about that too," he said as he started walking away.

"Where are you going?"

"You told me to leave you alone."

"I didn't mean it." Ethan pleaded.

Benny stopped. There was an ache in his chest. How many times was Ethan going to change his mind? "Then what did you mean?"

"What did _you_ mean? One minute you're trying to help me and the next you're all emo and won't even look at me."

"You're not okay with it."

"With what?" Ethan needed clarification.

"Me. Being in love with you."

"What? I never said that."

"Yeah, you did. Just now."

"That's not what I was talking about."

"Oh really? I come in here to find you _crying_ in a bathroom stall. And when I ask you what's going on you tell me it's because I said I love you. What else could that possibly mean? What else could be bothering you?"

"You lied to me."

"About what!"

"Being in love with me."

"You think I was lying?" Benny said, hurt in his eyes.

"You must've been. Otherwise you wouldn't be getting all cozy with Frenchy out there."

"Fren... Raoul? This is about Raoul?"

"Yeah." Ethan said angrily.

"What did he ever do to you?"

"Nothing," he said, looking away.

"Wait..." Benny realized what must have been going on. "You're jealous."

"Pshh." Ethan scoffed. "I'm not jealous of that world-traveling, story-telling, French-speaking attention grubbing..."

Benny laughed. "That sounds like jealousy to me."

"I'm not jealous." Ethan repeated.

"Mmhmm."

"I'm not!"

"He is pretty cool." Benny said.

"Good for him."

"But he's not going to take your place."

Ethan peeked over at him. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"I know I've been talking to him a lot. And it looks like I'm ignoring you. But I'm not. I'm just trying to be friendly to the new student. How would you feel if you went to a new school and no one would help you out?"

Ethan looked at him. "Well... I..."

"I think we're going to be friends." Benny said. "Good friends. But nobody can replace you."

"That's not what I... You mean you don't... Benny..."

"What?"

_Can't you see that you like him_? "And you thought _I_ was oblivious." Ethan said, letting the anger drain from him as a tiny smile inched its way onto his face.

"Huh?"

_This could be good though_, Ethan thought suddenly. "You're right. I overreacted. I know you'd never replace me." _But if you can develop feelings for someone else, maybe you can get over your feelings for me_. That thought made Ethan both happy and sad at the same time. As he thought about it, knowing that Benny might have feelings for someone else gave him hope that he would be happy with someone. But it also made him wonder how strong Benny's feelings for him were. How real they were. He wanted him happy but... at the same time he didn't want anyone taking Benny away from him.

"I definitely wouldn't."

"Raoul doesn't totally hate me now, does he?"

"No." Benny told him. "He might be a little afraid of you though."

"Sorry about that. Do you think you could re-introduce us? I'll apologize to him..."

"I think he'd like that."

"Okay." Ethan smiled. Benny had been trying to get him and Sarah together for a long time. Now it was his turn to return the favor.


	10. Starting Over

**Chapter 10 - Starting Over (Posted 3 October 2011)**

Benny and Ethan walked together back to the cafeteria. When they reached the table, they took their same seats again, with Benny between Rory and Raoul, and Ethan across from them next to Sarah.

"Hey." Raoul said sheepishly as Benny sat next to him.

"Hi." Benny answered. "Um, Ethan has something he wants to say to you."

"Oh... okay..." Raoul turned and faced him, appearing to brace for the impact of what he was about to say.

"Look," Ethan said as nicely as possible, "I'm _really_ sorry about how awful I've been to you. I've had a rough day but I had no reason to take it out on you. It's your first day here and I feel terrible for making it harder than it already was."

"Wow... uh... thank you."

"I mean it." Ethan said. "I mean, I get it if you don't forgive me, but..."

"No, it's fine." Raoul said, a small smile reaching his lips. "Thanks. I appreciate that. Maybe we can be friends?"

"Sure." Ethan nodded.

"Awesome!" Benny said, happy that they were getting along. "We should all do something after school. Like laser tag."

"I love laser tag!" Raoul said excitedly.

Benny grinned. "Great! What about you guys?" he looked at the other three.

"I'm down for shooting lasers at random kids." Rory said with a mouthful of sandwich.

"I'll go if Ethan goes." Sarah said.

They all looked at Ethan, being the deciding factor. "I'm in."

"Then it's settled. We'll all head over there right after school."

"Well, actually..." Raoul interjected, "I'll have to call my parents and ask them first. I'm sure they'll let me, though. They'll be really happy I made so many friends on my first day."

"Okay, well do you take the bus?" Ethan asked, trying to be friendly

"No, I'm going to walk." Raoul answered. He was feeling a little more comfortable around Ethan.

"Well you can call them before we leave then." Rory said. "Do you have a cell phone?"

"Yep." Raoul dug into his pocket and pulled out a slim piece of plastic. "I could actually text them now." He began pressing buttons, looking at the screen intently. About a minute passed before it buzzed. "They said I can go!"

"Sweet!" Benny exclaimed. "Can I see your phone?"

"Uh... sure... I guess." Raoul handed him his phone and watched as Benny tried to figure out what all the buttons did. "What are you doing with it?"

"I'm putting my number in." Benny pressed a few more buttons before turning the phone around and smiled into the camera lens. He took his photo and gave it back to Raoul. "See, now my picture will pop up when I call you or text you or something."

"Thanks." Raoul said. "I'll text you so you can have my number."

"Okay." Benny received a test reading _Bonjour_ and added the number to his contacts. He snuck a picture of Raoul while he was taking a sip of his milk and then proceeded to send back _Hola._

Raoul got the text and laughed. "That's Spanish, Benny."

Benny shrugged. "Spanish isn't one of the languages you speak?"

"I know a little bit."

The rest of the lunch conversations consisted of a few more stories about Raoul's travels. Which, Ethan admitted silently, were actually pretty interesting.

X

After school was over, they all met up outside the front doors.

Without really thinking about it, Benny pulled a black bottle out of his bag and took a sip.

Again it caught Raoul's attention. "Is anyone going to tell me what's in those bottles?"

And again, everyone stared at him.

"Um..." Benny said nervously, knowing he'd messed up.

"Is it alcohol?" Raoul asked. "You can tell me, I promise I won't tattle."

"Well, it's..." Benny was about to lie and say that yes, it was indeed alcohol, but he didn't want to lie to Raoul. That's no way to start a new friendship. But what else was he supposed to say? He couldn't very well tell him it was...

"Blood?" Raoul said with wide eyes as he leaned in and sniffed the contents of Benny's bottle. "You guys are vampires too?"


	11. Lightbulb

**Chapter 11 - Lightbulb (Posted 22 October 2011)**

Ethan began defending "Of course we aren't..." then his eyes practically popped out of his head as he asked, "too?"

"This is so great!" Raoul jumped up. "I knew there were some in White Chapel but I had no idea I'd meet them on my first day."

"You're a vampire?" Sarah asked.

"Totally!" Raoul opened his mouth wide as his sharp fangs slid out of his gums. "See?"

"Wow." Benny said, staring into Raoul's mouth.

"Well, come on," Raoul said, "let's see 'em." He looked at Ethan and Sarah, who, although a bit confused, showed off their fangs as well. "Nice. Rory?"

Rory, ever the proud vampire, obliged of course. "I've got the longest fangs."

Raoul inspected them. "So far. But we still haven't seen Benny's." He turned to Benny and grabbed his face, squishing his cheeks in so his mouth would open. He pulled Benny's face down to his, since he was a few inches shorter, and peered onto Benny's mouth. "Show me, Benny."

Their eyes met for a second and suddenly Benny felt a nervous pang in his stomach. It was something he'd never felt before. And it scared him a bit. But at the same time, seeing the slight blush on Raoul's cheek made him want to smile. So he did. He spread his lips into a huge open-mouthed grin and let his fangs poke out. "What do you think?" Benny asked, Raoul's fingers still against his cheeks.

"They're not as long as Rory's," Raoul admitted, "but they're sharper. And shinier. If I were judging a contest, you would win."

"Thanks." Benny said, voice breaking just slightly.

Raoul smiled and released Benny's chin. "Okay, are we ready to go?"

Sarah, Ethan, and Rory all stared at them with raised eyebrows.

"What?" Benny asked, wondering why everyone was giving him a funny look.

"Nothing." Sarah said.

Benny's eyes shifted to Ethan's, which seemed both happy and pained at the same time. "E?"

Ethan tried to smile at him, but by the look on Benny's face he know he could tell it was transparent. But it was the best he could do. "I'm just surprised that we met another vampire. I've only been one for a few days myself. And you've only been one for a few hours."

"You guys are newbies?" Raoul asked curiously.

"Yep." Benny said. "Just bitten. Last night, actually."

"Wow." Raoul said like it was the most interesting thing in the world. "Are you a fledgeling or...?"

"We're all full vampires." Sarah answered.

"And I'm part ninja." Rory added.

"So am I." Roul announced. "A full vampire, I mean."

"Well," Benny said, "now that we're all up to speed on that subject, who's up for some laser tag?"

X

Laser tag proved to be a great bonding experience. Raoul charmed everyone with his timid smile and showed that he could be extremely competitive.

"I'll see you guys tomorrow." Benny said as Rory, Sarah, and Ethan starting heading toward their homes.

"See ya." Rory and Sarah waved.

"Aren't you coming with us?" Ethan asked.

"No, you go ahead. I'm gonna walk Raoul home."

Ethan furrowed his brow. "But..."

"Um..." Raoul chimed in, not wanting to cause any trouble. "I think I can get home on my own, if..."

"No," Ethan said, "uh, you two go and... have... fun. I'll just..."

"You could come with us." Benny offered.

"Yeah." Raoul said. "I'm sure my parents would love to meet you."

"Thanks, but I should actually get home. My mom probably has dinner ready..."

"Are you sure?" Benny asked, a hint of guilt and confusion shimmering in his eyes.

"Completely sure." Ethan told them. "Maybe some other time."

"Okay."

"Ethan!" Sarah called back to him. "Are you coming?"

"Better get back to your girl, Ethan." Benny laughed.

"Yeah," he said after taking a deep breath. Then he turned and jogged back to Sarah, taking the hand she offered as they walked away.

"Benny?" Raoul asked, noticing the look in Benny's eyes as he watched Ethan go. He began leading Benny toward his house.

"Hmm?"

"Do you and Ethan have... history?"

Benny looked at him. "What kind of history?"

"You know. Like... romantic history."

"What? No. Of course not. We're just friends. We always have been. And, uh... always will be."

"I don't know about that. There's a lot of tension between you two."

"Tension?" Benny asked.

"You have feelings for him?"

Benny took a shaky breath. "Maybe."

"It's okay, you know. To like other guys."

"I know. But he's got a girlfriend."

"Sarah? I don't think he's very into her."

Benny chuckled. "Trust me, he's into her."

"I see."

"So... if you don't mind my asking... are you gay, or...?"

"I don't know what I am. I've never been interested in anyone other than..."

"Ethan," Raoul guessed.

"Yeah." Benny admitted.

"Does he know?"

"Yes."

"And he doesn't..."

"No."

"I'm sorry." Raoul's voice was sincere and pitying, but not condescending.

"It's okay. He's happy with her and that makes me happy, so everything is okay."

"Have you thought about exploring your other options?"

"Sure. I just don't know what my other options are."

"Well," Raoul flashed a smile, "I'm sure if you look around, you'll find some."

"How will I know when I find one?"

"Hmm. I suppose it'll be like a lightbulb suddenly turning on in your heart, you'll just see the person and you'll feel your hands get all sweaty and your heart will speed up and you'll just know that you like this person."

Benny wrinkled his forehead in thought. "Does that always mean you like them?"

"No. But usually it does."

"Oh. So is there someone that makes you feel like that?"

Raoul's smile widened a bit. "Yeah."

"Someone back in France?"

"No, someone I met during my more recent travels."

"Oh."

"He's really sweet."

"He?"

"Mmhmm. I haven't known him for long, but like I said, it was like a switch was flipped when I met him."

"I see." Benny nodded absently, focusing instead on his thoughts. He wondered if it was that easy. To be able to just find someone new after having your heart crumpled and smoothed out so many times. Not quite broken, but creased to the point that a rip or a tear would soon be unavoidable. They walked in awkward silence the rest of the way to Raoul's house.

"Mom, Dad," Raoul announced as they walked into the largish home, "I've brought a new friend home that I'd like you to meet."

"In the kitchen," a woman's voice answered with a thick French accent.

Raoul led Benny to the kitchen where a petite woman was rummaging through a refrigerator and a stout man was sitting at the table.

"Hello, son," the man said. "Who is your friend?"

"This is Benny," Raoul announced excitedly. "He showed me around school today. And then we went to play laser tag with a bunch of his friends, and do you know what?"

"What, dear?" his mother asked. Benny could tell they were speaking English for his sake.

"They're all vampires!"

The man and woman's faces lit up.

"Sweetie, that is wonderful!" his mother congratulated.

"Yes," his father added, "we are so glad you were able to find some younger vampires to be around."

"We're going to go up to my room and play games on the computer," Raoul told them, grabbing Benny's arm and pulling him to his bedroom. "So how old are you, Benny?"

"I'm eighteen," Benny answered. "What about you?"

"Are you sure you want to know?"

"Yes..."

"I'm thirty three."

Benny's jaw dropped slightly. "Right. Vampires don't age. I guess I should get used to that. So... if you're thirty three, why do you still live with your parents?"

"It's just the easiest way to continue to be part of the world," Raoul explained. "I was turned when I was seventeen. My whole family... we were all turned by a rogue."

"I'm sorry..."

"It's fine. If it wouldn't have happened, I never would have gotten to travel the world like I do and I wouldn't have met all the fascinating people I've met.

"Like me?"

"Yeah. Like you."

They messed around for a while, asking questions and getting to know each other. They found they had a lot in common, though they weren't all that surprised.

"It's getting late." Benny said when he noticed how dark it was getting, "I should head home."

"Are you sure? We're having so much fun." Raoul pouted.

"I'm sorry. We can hang out again tomorrow though. If... if you want."

"I'd like that. Come on, I'll walk you out." He took Benny down to the front door. "I had a lot of fun today, Benny."

"Me too."

"I'll see you at school."

Benny nodded and gave a quick smile as he left. His head was still full of thoughts, contemplating the things Raoul said to him. He wasn't sure he believed his whole lightbulb analogy. All he knew was that he wanted to leave a little early tomorrow morning so he could walk Raoul to school.


	12. Can't You See It?

**Chapter 12 - Can't You See It? (Posted 10 November 2011)**

"You know," Sarah said as she walked hand-in-hand with Ethan, "I'm really not surprised that Benny has a crush on Raoul."

"What?" Ethan gave her a confused look. "How did you...?"

"Oh, come on. It's so obvious he likes him. They've spent the last week doing _everything_ together. I'm amazed you aren't jealous."

Ethan laughed, but inside he felt like he was being ripped apart. Of course he was jealous. Some foreign kid was stealing his best friend! Sure, he had to admit that Raoul was pretty cool, and he did want Benny to find someone he could be happy with, but did that mean they couldn't still be close? He remembered Benny promising they'd always be close, but then amending that promise by saying Ethan might not need him anymore one day. He doubted that would ever happen, but could it occur reversely? What if one day, Benny no longer needed him? "It's okay, I've been spending time with you anyway."

"I know, but I don't want to take you away from your friend. I don't want to be that kind of girlfriend."

"Thanks."

She smiled sweetly. "But aren't you a little... weirded out by it?"

"By what?"

"By Benny being so obviously in love with him."

"You think he's in love with him?" Ethan didn't like the sound of that, though he refused to admit it even to himself.

"Duh."

"Oh... well, no, it doesn't weird me out. Benny is my friend whether he likes boys or girls..."

"That's not what I mean. I couldn't care less if he's gay. I'm talking about how much Raoul looks like you."

Ethan blinked. "What?"

"You mean you don't see it?"

"No?"

"Oh my gosh, Ethan! He looks just like you, only with sandy hair! He's got the same eyes and nose, he's about your same height, and even his voice is like yours if you had a French accent."

"I... never noticed..."

"Do you think..."

"No..." Ethan shook his head. "Benny likes Raoul because he's awesome. He wears striped shirts and they both like to put mustard on their pizza and... and..."

"And other than that, he's pretty much exactly like you."

"Well maybe he just has a... type." Ethan suggested. "Short, awesome guys with curly hair."

Sarah rolled her eyes. "Maybe. I just hope it works out for him. As much as I call you guys dorks, he is my friend and I want him to be happy."

"Me too."

X

"Dude, it feels like I haven't talked to you in like ten years!" Benny yelled as he opened his front door.

"That's because we haven't really hung out for over a week. Not just the two of us anyway."

"Yeah..." Benny said, looking guilty. "I'm sorry about that. Raoul..."

"I know." Ethan forced a smile. "You two really hit it off."

"Yeah, we did..." Benny said thoughtfully.

"Well?"

"Well, what?"

Ethan looked around the perimeter of the door frame. "Are you going to invite me in?"

"Oh... right, sorry. Come on in." Benny stepped back from the door, making room for Ethan to step inside. From there they went up to Benny's room.

"So, how are things?" Ethan asked as they paused between levels of a video game.

"What things?"

Ethan shrugged. "Any things. How's Gramma?"

"Awesome, as usual."

"Good. And... Raoul?"

"Also awesome. Wow, that sounds funny... also awesome, also awesome..."

Ethan giggled. "Are you two getting really close?"

"Eh. A little, I guess. Why?"

"Nothing."

"Oh, hey, I know that look. What's wrong?"

"I told you, nothing."

"Ethan, I know you. Anytime you say nothing is wrong, there's definitely _something_. Just tell me, you know I'm always here for you."

"Has he kissed you yet?" Ethan asked suddenly, unable to stop himself.

"...What?"

"Raoul. Has he kissed you."

"No. Why would he do that?"

Ethan stared at him. "Because he _likes_ you."

"He does?"

"Yes." Ethan said. Then realized that Benny really had no idea. "Can't you see it?"

"No..."

"Benny... he's totally crazy about you! I could tell that first day, he was all over you. And you... reciprocated."

"I what?"

"It means you were equally as-"

"I know what it means! But I was not all over him. I was just being nice." Despite this argument, Benny's face became red.

"You mean you really don't see how much you two like each other?"

"Um... no."

"Well what about now? Surely you can see it looking back."

"I... oh my god..."

"What?"

"It was me. He was talking about me! When he said he liked someone he met recently... he meant me..."

"He told you that?"

Benny nodded. "Yep."

"What did you say?"

"Nothing, we got to his house right after that. Never revisited the subject."

"And... um... how do you feel? About him, I mean."

"I don't know. This is so hard to think about..."

"I'm sorry..."

"No, it's not your fault. I just... I'm still getting used to seeing you with Sarah. I don't know if I can handle picturing _myself_ with someone..."

"Then don't." Ethan felt bad immediately after saying this. It was selfish. Raoul was the perfect person to help Benny through this tough time, to keep him sane and ease his suffering. And yet, for some reason, Ethan didn't want him to be.

"But I don't want to be alone forever, either. We're vampires, now, Ethan. We're never going to die. I've been having a tough enough time being away from you for a week, I can't even imagine a lifetime all by myself..."

"Well... maybe you should give him chance. He's pretty cool..."

"You'd be okay with that?"

"Of course."

"It doesn't bother you that he's... a boy?"

"No."

"Maybe... maybe I do like him. A little..."

Ethan wanted to frown, but quickly covered it with a hard smile. "Why don't you ask him out?"

"How do I do that?"

"Just ask him. Take him out to dinner."

"You think that'll work?"

"Definitely."

"Thanks..."

"No problem." Only it was a problem. Ethan told himself that he just wanted Benny to be happy, and he really did think Raoul was a good thing for Benny, but... he still didn't exactly feel right giving him dating advice.

X

Ethan had continued to think about Benny and Raoul through the rest of their video game marathon, as he flew home, and as he tried to fall asleep without success. He probably would have pondered it more in the morning if he wasn't feeling sleep-deprived and fuzzy-brained.

"Happy birthday!" someone yelled very loudly in Ethan's ear, startling him.

"Benny?" Ethan asked. "It's not my birthday for-"

"Two weeks. I know." Benny said, handing Ethan a thin, rectangular box held closed by a thick ribbon. "But I want you to have this now, so you can use it when it comes time."

Ethan scrutinized the box.

"Well don't just stand there," Sarah said from where she stood next to him, "open it."

"But..."

"Seriously, who _waits_ to open a present?" Benny asked. "Go on, E."

Ethan nodded and pulled the ribbon open before lifting the top off the box. He almost squealed when he saw what was inside. "_How_ did you _get_ these!"

Benny grinned widely. "I waited up until midnight when they went on sale."

"What is it?" Sarah asked.

Ethan took the two slips of paper from the box. "Two tickets to the premier of Foreign Zombies Seven. The premier is on my birthday... This is going to be so awesome! We're going to have so much fun, Benny!"

"Oh..." Benny said. "Actually... I'm not going with you."

Ethan's face fell to a look of utter disappointment. "What?"

"Those tickets are for you and Sarah. It's part of the present. Getting to spend your birthday with her."

Sarah smiled thankfully. "Thanks, Benny."

Benny mirrored her smile. "No problem."

"But, Benny..." Ethan said, almost pleading. "I've always spent my birthdays with you. Literally, since my actual date of birth..."

Sarah suddenly felt uncomfortable. "I don't want you to break tradition for me..."

"No, it's fine, really." Benny insisted with a convincing smile. "I want you guys to go out and have a nice time together."

"You don't have to do this." Ethan said, hoping to convey much more. He knew what Benny was trying to do. He was trying to push him away, to ween him off of the friendship that had been supporting him for so many years. At first he'd thought it was because Benny finally realized he didn't need Ethan anymore. But then he realized it was because he didn't want Ethan to need him. He didn't want to hold him back. If it were anyone else he would have appreciate it. But coming from Benny, it only made him sad. He didn't _want_ to be detached from Benny. At all. Ever.

"I want to."

That hurt. And Ethan couldn't deny it. The physical pain he felt in his chest, like he was being stabbed from the inside out, was too intense to be cast off as nothing. But what could he do? He had no claim on Benny. He'd lost his chance, rejected him when he could have... what? What could he have done? What could he have been? "Okay. Thanks."

"Don't mention it."


	13. Someone

**Chapter 13 - Someone (Posted 17 November 2011)**

"Ethan!" A French accent called out before someone bumped into him and pulled him into a tight hug. "Thank you!"

"Huh?" Ethan didn't remembering doing anything for him. "What are you thanking me for, Raoul?" he asked when he was released.

"Benny! He called me last night. He said you told him you think I like him, and then he told me he likes me too!"

"Oh. That's... great, Raoul."

Raoul smiled. "I just... I have to ask you something..."

"Ask away."

"Are you okay with me going out with him?"

"...What?"

"I'm not asking your permission..." Raoul clarified. "I just... I know he's trying to get over his feelings for you, and I'd like to help him with that... because I _really_ like him, Ethan. I just want to make sure that... you're okay with it."

Ethan nodded. "Yeah. Of course I'm okay with it. Why wouldn't I be?"

"Well... I thought... maybe, you had feelings for him. I know you guys are best friends, and I know you're with Sarah... but if you do have feelings for him, I want you to tell me now because I don't want to take him away from you. If he has a chance to be with you..."

"No." Ethan interrupted. "I mean... I don't... I don't feel that way about him."

Raoul furrowed his brow and frowned. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah."

"Okay. And... I want you to know that I'm not going to like, take him away from you. I know you're his best friend, and I'd never try to destroy that... I just want you to know that, okay?"

"Alright. Thanks..."

"But if you change your mind and decide later on that you do want him, I won't just step aside."

"I'm not going to change my mind, Raoul."

Roul nodded. "Okay. I just wanted to be sure, because I know it's going to be hard for him, but I think I can help him."

"I think so too."

"Thanks, Ethan."

X

"So," Ethan said when he saw Benny in class, "When are you and Raoul going out?"

"How do you know we're going out?"

"He told me."

"Oh." Benny nodded, feeling awkward.

"Are you excited?"

Benny shrugged. "I guess."

"You guess?"

"I'm nervous. I've never even considered going out with someone before. What do I do? What do I wear, and say... and..."

"Benny, you're gonna do fine." Ethan assured him. "Just act how you normally act. He likes you, remember? So he doesn't want you to be any different than you usually are."

"But what if I do something he hasn't seen yet and decides he doesn't like me anymore? I don't know if I could take that..."

_Again_, Ethan thought, feeling guilty. "You're making too big a deal out of this. He _likes_ you, and you like him. You're already friends..."

"Exactly! What if I screw everything up? Then he won't even want to be my friend and it'll be even worse..."

"I'm sorry, Benny. I don't know what you want me to say, you're making me feel so guilty..."

"What? What do you have to feel guilty about?"

"I feel like I did this to you, like I'm the reason you have no confidence..."

Benny shook his head. "Man... don't... don't think that. It's not your fault. At all. I've always been like that."

"You've done a good job of hiding it."

"That was my intention. Look... I've never really been sure of myself, and I really have no reason to be... I always feel like the universe is out to get me, and the only thing keeping her from bringing me down is you. And now... I've finally realized that I'm not going to have you forever. I'm _going_ to lose you, it's not just a possibility anymore. You're gonna fall in love with someone and decide to be with them for the rest of your life. Whether it's to Sarah or Erica or Della or anyone... it's not gonna be me. And I hate it because I want you to be happy, with or without me, but... it kills me to know you can be happy without me. Happier, even."

"You don't know that."

"Yes I do. You're not in love with me, that means that there's someone else out there who's going to be closer to you than I could ever be."

"But... that means you can have that too." Ethan argued. "You can go out and find someone that does love you and that you can be close to."

"You don't understand. Think about Sarah. How would you feel if she told you she only liked you as a friend? Wouldn't you be sad? Wouldn't you be infinitely jealous of the person she did love?"

_Not__ really..._ "I guess..." _Is __that __what __love __is __supposed__ to __feel __like?_

"So now do you understand? I can't just go out and fine someone. I want you, like you want Sarah. The only difference is you can have the one you want."

"I'm sorry..."

"No... I'm sorry." Benny suddenly looked embarrassed. "I didn't mean to say all that." He stood up, grabbing his stuff and hurrying out of the room.

"Benny?" the teacher asked, but got no response. He looked to Ethan, who just shrugged and looked away. Why was this so hard for him? He hated hurting Benny, but he just didn't feel that way. Raoul was way better for him anyway.


	14. Kissed

**Chapter 14 - Kissed (Posted 17 December 2011)**

Ethan was startled awake by a loud tapping sound on his window. He fell out of bed, looking toward the window to find the source of the noise. He furrowed his eyebrows in confusion when he saw Benny hovering outside.

He rushed over and opened the window. "Benny, what are you doing out there?"

"I had to talk to you," Benny said, sounding lost.

"It's two in the morning! And it's pouring outside..."

"If you want me to leave," Benny began retreating.

But Ethan leaned out the window and grabbed Benny by the sleeve. "No, you don't have to leave. Come inside so we can talk."

Benny gave a small nod before flying in through Ethan's window.

"I need your help."

"With what?" Ethan asked, willing to do anything for Benny.

"I had my date with Raoul tonight..."

"Oh, yeah." Ethan acted like he'd forgotten. "How'd it go?"

"It was great. We went bowling, and then got something to eat..."

"So what do you need my help with?"

"Well... I took him home, and... he kissed me."

Ethan didn't understand why he felt almost disappointed at that. "Oh. Wow. That's great, Benny."

"Yeah, but... but it didn't..."

"Didn't what?" Ethan wondered.

"It didn't feel... I mean it was nice, I enjoyed it, but... I just didn't... feel anything."

"Oh... well maybe you just need to give it some time. You still need to get used to kissing him."

Benny looked doubtful. "How was it when you first kissed Sarah?"

"It was... pretty much the same. There wasn't much of a spark, it was just kind of... happening."

"And now?"

"Now? Well, it hasn't really changed."

"Really?" Benny asked. "So... you're not really supposed to feel anything when you kiss someone you like?"

"I guess not." Ethan admitted sadly.

"Ok then..."

"Yeah..."

"I should go." Benny tore his eyes away from Ethan's before he made him uncomfortable. "I'll see you at school." He vanished out the window.

"See you." Ethan said, even though he knew Benny was already gone.


	15. Top Secret

**Chapter 15 - Top Secret (Posted 22 December 2011)**

Ethan walked into school one morning feeling sick. It only got worse when he saw Raoul standing by Benny at his locker. Kissing him. It had been like that every day since they'd had their first date.

He was happy for Benny. Really. But he still felt so bad about... something. Something just felt wrong.

"Hey, Ethan!" Sarah yelled excitedly as she ran up and hugged him. "Happy birthday!"

"Thanks," he accepted her kiss with a smile.

"Are you excited for tonight?"

"Um..."

She quirked an eyebrow at him. "Foreign Zombies Seven? Benny got us tickets for your birthday, remember?"

"Oh yeah. I'm totally excited."

"You don't sound excited." she pouted.

"I am, really," he gave her a convincing albeit fake smile. "I can't wait."

"Yay!" she squealed. "And listen, I know you're a little bummed about not getting to spend your birthday with Benny, but he's trying to do something nice for you, okay?"

"I know, I just... it's a little weird for me, you know? But I am looking forward to being with you tonight."

"Great." she smiled. "If I don't see you I'll call you after school, kay?"

"Yep." he said, and she walked off to class. He walked over to Benny and Raoul, who had _finally_ stopped kissing. "Hey, guys."

"Hi, Ethan." Raoul smiled brightly.

"Hey, bud." Benny's smile was a little shallower, and he couldn't quite look Ethan in the eye.

"What are you guys doing tonight?"

"We have a date." Benny answered quietly.

"Oh yeah?" Ethan feigned interest in their date. "Doing what?"

"That's top secret." Raoul said with a wink.

Ethan's eyebrows went up and his jaw hit the floor as he blushed. His eyes bounced back and forth between Benny and Roul. Benny still couldn't meet his gaze and had trace amounts of red on his face. Raoul was positively glowing.

"Oh my god..." Ethan said, unable to think of anything he could possibly say to that.

"Well, I'm off to class." Roul said with a smile. "See you guys later!" he gave an energetic wave and danced off.

"Benny..." Ethan pleaded with a whisper. "When Raoul said 'top secret,' did he mean..."

"He meant a lot of things, E." Benny answered, staring at the floor.

"Is one of them what I think it is?"

"Probably."

"Benny you've only been going out for two weeks! You've only known him for a little over three..."

"It's not your decision." Benny finally looked up. There was sadness in his eyes, and it cut through Ethan like a hot, jagged knife. "I really like Raoul. And... I think I've figured out a way to turn us human again."


	16. Breaking Bonds

**Chapter 16 - Breaking Bonds (Posted 29 December 2011)**

"What do you mean?" Ethan asked quietly. They were full vampires. There was no going back.

"Exactly what I said," Benny told him. "I found a way to turn us human. All of us."

"All of us?"

Benny nodded. "Yeah. You, Sarah, Raoul, and me. The four of us can be human again."

"But... how?"

"Well... it's something I thought of after something Raoul said," Benny said, the name making Ethan's blood boil, "but I didn't think it would work. So I didn't say anything, because I didn't know what would happen if something went wrong. But I just kept thinking about it... and so I brought it up to Raoul and he thinks it could work."

"What could work? How can you possibly turn four full vampires human?"

Benny looked at his watch. "Dude, we have to get to class. I'll tell you after school, okay?" He ran off toward his classroom, leaving Ethan standing there, more confused than ever.

"Benny, wait..."

X

Ethan was anxious all day. He really wanted to know what Benny had planned. And, for some reason, he had a bad feeling about it. He didn't even know what it was, but the whole idea of Benny somehow turning the four of them human just seemed like a bad idea.

He waited outside at the end of the day. "There you are," he said when he'd found Benny, "where's Raoul?"

"He went home awhile. To get ready."

Ethan shivered. "Will you please tell me what's going on?"

"Oh, right. Come over here, I don't want everyone to hear what I'm saying." He pulled him over to a lonely tree.

Ethan decided he needed an explanation. "Were you even going to tell me about this?"

"What? Of course I was. Besides, I kind of have to."

"...Why?"

"Because, you have a part in it. That... and it involves breaking our bond."

Ethan's jaw dropped, and he felt lost. "Our bond is supposed to be unbreakable..."

"Yeah. But we can break it."

"How? Why do we even need to?"

"We've been blood brothers since we were little. We've been linked, so that if something happens to one of us, the other feels it. If something changes us, the other has to change too."

"I know..."

"But think about it." Benny said. "When did you start having visions? When did I start being able to use my powers? _After_, the bond. Shouldn't we have been able to somehow feel what the other was going through? Or wouldn't we both have the same powers?"

"Well... maybe... I mean, it makes sense..."

"Yeah. That's what's been confusing me. But I figured it out. We had these abilities _before_ we were bonded. It wasn't a change that occurred during the bond, it didn't change us. But the vampirism... that changed us."

"What does all this mean, Benny?"

"It means, that if we can break our bond, any permanent changes that changed both of us will be reversed."

"Reversed?" Ethan said quietly.

"Yeah. Meaning we won't be vampires anymore"

"But... that doesn't explain how Raoul and Sarah will change too. And I already told you, we can't break our bond. Gramma said it was stronger than any magic... even the vampire curse couldn't break it."

"I know. But we can."

"I don't know about this..."

Benny frowned. "You haven't even heard my plan yet."

"What's going to happen then, Benny? If we don't have that link anymore?"

"You'll be free, that's what. You can be with Sarah without having to worry about me."

Ethan's heart sank. "But..."

"Listen, Ethan, this is the best way. Will you at least hear me out?"

"...I guess."

"Good, because this is where you come in. Do you know anything about vampire bonds?"

"No." Ethan shook his head.

"It's an ancient thing," Beny explained, "where two vampires form like this... psychic bond. A magical bond. And it's unbreakable. Even if the two people who are bonded hate each other, they can't just decide to end it."

Ethan's chest was pounding. "What did they do, then?"

"They went to see a priest or a priestess."

"Like Gramma."

"Yeah, like my gramma." Benny nodded. "And they came up with a solution. A combination of different types of magic. In order to break the bond, the two would each have to find another partner to bond with, and attempt to forge a bond with them. Then at least one of the pairs would have to... um... complete the ritual by... well," Benny's face became slightly red, "consummating it. Then they say a spell and... hopefully, the new bonds take the place of the old one."

"So... that's what you're planning on doing with Raoul tonight." Ethan realized. "You're going to bond with him? And then..."

"Yeah. But you have to bond with someone too. You don't have to take it any further than that, only one of the bonds needs to be... solidified like that. But here's the best part. Once the bond between you and me is broken, we'll turn human again. And so will our partners, because part of the magic will be taken from the old bond into the new ones, meaning..."

"They'll have to change back."

"But once we're all human again, we won't be able to sustain a vampire bond."

"So they dissolve." Ethan was following it now. "We'll all be humans. With no bonds with anyone else."

"Yep."

"Why?"

Benny was confused. "Why what?"

"Why are you doing this? Why go through all that to fix something that isn't really all that bad?"

"Because. What did Sarah want more than anything when we first met her? To find a way to be human again. To have a normal life. And I found a way you can give her exactly that."

"You're doing this for Sarah?"

"No. I'm doing it for all of us. Sarah and Raoul want to be humans. And you want to be with Sarah."

"And what about you? What do you want?"

Benny bit his lip. "I just want everyone to be happy."

"I'm happy now."

"I'm not." Benny didn't want to hurt Ethan. But if that's what he had to do in order to save him, he really had no choice. "I don't want to be this way."

"Benny, being a vampire isn't-"

"It's not that. I don't mind being a vampire. Awesome fangs. Eternal youth. Super speed, being able to fly, strength. It's great, really."

"Then what do you want to change?" Ethan asked, even though he had a guess.

"I... I don't want to be bonded to you. I can't handle it. Knowing that you're stuck this way because of me. Knowing that you'll never be able to live a day without feeling my pain. Or worrying about something happening to me in the future that might end up changing you too because of this stupid bond. Even when we go our separate ways, we'll still be connected. And because of that, I will never be able to move on. And neither will you. I don't want you to have any ties to me, Ethan. I don't want there to be anything, physical or magical, keeping us together when you're meant to be with someone else."


End file.
